Family First » donations

Toys for Tots Is Busier Than Ever

Marijo Tinlin — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 14:05:12 +0000

This is the busiest time of the year at Toys For Tots (www.toysfortots.org) whose mission is to “bring the joy of Christmas to America’s needy children.”

Not only are folks who may have donated in the past now seeking assistance from the 63-year-old organization but also many of the Marines who help distribute toys are deployed right now.

They need you.

Either through donations of toys or cash or volunteering with collecting, sorting or distributing, you can help bring Christmas to a family who needs help. Donate toys now through December 5^th and cash until Christmas Eve.

Vice President of Marketing and Development Bill Grein, himself a retired officer in the Marine Corps, tells Family First they especially need gifts for pre-teens and early teens such as hairdryers, curling irons, watches and clock radios.

Courtesy of Toys for Tots

Grein says because of their name, many give toys for ”tots” or young kids like dolls and toy trucks. The pre-teen/teen crowd wants to be able to go back to school after Winter Break and say “I got” something for Christmas too.

According to Grein, there are 14 million children who need help and this number has increased by over one million in the past couple of years. Toys for Tots does very little promotion which helps keep their margins as tight as possible so they can spend their money on toys, book and other gifts for kids.

For every $1 given to Toys for Tots, $.97 goes to help buy toys. The other three cents goes to administrative costs and such. This margin is simply amazing and is the mark of a very efficient organization and an effective way to give your donation dollars.

There are 713 Toys for Tots programs nationwide, most run by the local Marine Reserve units and all major markets have one. Besides dropping toys there or at a Toys for Tots drop box, several national businesses are offering to take donations.

At Toys R Us, Pier One, Build a Bear and Family Dollar stores, you can add $1 or more to your final total and make a donation through your purchase. What a simple way to help make a difference this year when you are shopping for your own family.

In 2009, Grein says they helped over 7.4 million kids (or slightly half of all the kids who needed assistance). The only requirement is financial – people who qualify for assistance must be living at or below the poverty level.

If you wish to apply for assistance you can seek that through your local location link here. Please note: Family First cannot help you sign up – you must contact Toys for Tots directly.

Be sure and watch the Hallmark Channel on the evening of December 10^th when the Hollywood Christmas Parade will air. This two-hour special features Toys for Tots and will really help get you in the holiday spirit!

Please visit the Toys for Tots website to learn more about this wonderful organization started in 1947 by Major Bill Hendricks and his local Marine Reservists in Los Angeles, California. Celebrities such as Bob Hope, John Wayne, Doris Day, Lorrie Morgan, Tim Allen, Kenny Rogers, Billy Ray Cyrus, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush and Shaquille O’Neal have supported Toys for Tots.

What Are You Going to Do with ALL Your Leftover Halloween Candy?

Marijo Tinlin — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 15:37:35 +0000

Here’s an idea – instead of keeping all that candy you don’t give out tonight for yourself, your kids, your co-workers at work, why not do something better with it? You don’t want to go into the holiday season a few pounds heavier to start with, right?

How about sending your extra candy to the troops overseas?

You can make a soldier smile and teach your kids about giving.

If you Google “Halloween candy to troops” you find all kinds of dentists across the country who “buy back” the candy – usually for about $1 per pound up to 10 pounds.

They then send it overseas through any of the fantastic care packages for troops programs such as Operation Gratitude and America’s Mighty Warriors.

I found this website www.halloweencandybuyback.com which allows dentists to register their practices to participate and also lets you search your zip code and a mileage range to find a dentist near you who is participating.

I entered my zip code and found 16 dentists within a 30-mile radius who are participating! This website also has a couple of videos from Operation Gratitude that are a must-see.

Besides candy, the website also offers the following suggested items to donate:

Beanie Babies/WebKinz or other small stuffed animals
Hand-Knit/Crochet Scarves and Hats
Small packages Beef Jerky
Individual Packets of Hot Cereal
Computer Flash Drives
Commercially sealed Lip Balm, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, mouthwash
Personal Letters of Appreciation

I also found this website The Fun Times Guide which has a huge list of great stuff to send, including some suggestions for simple games she got from a Marine she knows. Some of the stuff on here you wouldn’t think of, such as cans of air to blow dust out of electronics.

Sometimes, the care packages are the only pieces of mail the soldiers receive while they’re deployed, besides their bills from back home. When you send your candy and a note, you are guaranteed to put a smile on an overseas soldier’s face.

It’s a huge morale boost for them, according to the letters posted on the Operation Gratitude website.

What a great lesson too for your kids. What if you have them portion out what they collect tonight to send away too? It might be hard for them to part with the goods, but it’s a great lesson in giving a little back. Show them the videos and tell them they are helping someone who might not get anything else all year.

According to www.halloweencandbuyback.com, Operation Gratitude sent over 60 TONS of care package goods last year. That’s 120,000 pounds.

If you are interested in organizing a candy collection event in your community, they have instructions on exactly what you will need and frequently asked questions to help you get set up.

You can follow Operation Gratitude on Twitter at www.twitter.com/OpGratitude and “like” them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OperationGratitude.

American Red Cross

Joel Comm — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 00:32:17 +0000

This week, our nation has suffered the one of the worst natural disasters ever. The events of Hurricane Katrina, and the aftermath of events in the Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana have saturated the television and radio waves all hours of the day and night. The suffering our fellow countrymen are going through is tremendous, unimaginable, and heartbreaking to watch. As a nation, we must all band together and help those who are most vulnerable and most affected. Today’s Family First Site highlights an organization that for over 125 years has helped in situations like this all over the world.

This organization if the American Red Cross. Since it was formally founded by Clara Barton in 1881, it has been the cornerstone of disaster relief in our nation. Modeled after the International Red Cross, it was created to serve our nation in peace and in war, during times of disaster and national calamity. The worst disaster that is has dealt with, before Katrina, was another hurricane that struck Galveston, Texas in 1900 and killed over 6,000 people.
At this site you can make donations to help the hurricane victims, and what else you can do to relieve their suffering. You also can learn about the ongoing programs that the Red Cross sponsors, both during times of disasters, and long after the crisis is over.
This is a time for all of us to put our differences aside, and help our fellow citizens, our neighbors, and our friends. We are so blessed as a nation for what we have, and we should be thankful that we are able to share it with others.
http://www.redcross.org/

Operation Wounded Soldier

Joel Comm — Tue, 21 Sep 2004 00:21:21 +0000

One thing that has kept us free as a country is the willingness of our citizens to become part of the military that has kept that freedom. You always hear about supporting the troops in the field, give them what they need so they can get the job done and come home. But what about those that have already done the job, those that have sustained horrible wounds, lost limbs, bodily functions, the worst that you could imagine. What happens to them when they arrive home? If they are lucky, they encounter the people of today’s Family First site.

The name of the site is Operation Wounded Soldier. They were created with one goal in mind: to fill the need of our wounded service people at a time when they are at their most vulnerable. There are many organizations out there sending care packages and love to our troops overseas… , however, there are precious few who are sending anything to those who have already given of themselves, lay wounded and largely forgotten in Military hospitals. That is where this group comes in. Their goal is to pick up the slack where the treatment ends. The little things in life that we take for granted, like shampoo, hand cream, lip balm, tooth paste, batteries, the list goes on. Their mission: to never forget the sacrifices our fighting men and women have made for us. There are many forms of “donations” …. and all are needed!
If just one person would give just one thing, no wounded soldier would have to
lay in the hospital, day after day, for some, their families so far away… wondering if anybody even cares anymore. Please, please visit this site, read about the work they do, and then help. Speaking as a veteran who was blessed to serve without being wounded, I can truly say that any support shows is gratefully received. Remember those who gave of themselves so that we all may enjoy the freedoms we have.

http://www.operationwoundedsoldiers.org/

KuKura

Joel Comm — Sat, 17 May 2003 12:00:00 +0000

As our world increases in population, the natural resources that we take for granted are rapidly shrinking. Before you know it, the world as we know it may be irreparably harmed.

Today’s FamSite is one that promotes this awareness for the rainforests. Designed for young people of all ages, this site introduces the visitor to Kukura, Guardian of the RainForest. Here you will learn his story, as well as the story of what is happening to this valuable ecosystem. You can visit with other kids online, as well as going to the newsroom and finding out what the latest news is. There is a program for making donations, as well as a store for purchasing items.

This is site that is educational as well as informative. It can help show that working together we all can make a difference in the world around us.

http://www.greenkeepers.com/

Kukura

Joel Comm — Tue, 04 Mar 2003 12:00:00 +0000

As our world increases in population, the natural resources that we take for granted are rapidly shrinking. Before you know it, the world as we know it may be irreparably harmed.

This is site that is educational as well as informative. It can help show that working together we all can make a difference in the world around us.

http://www.greenkeepers.com/

The Family Pledge

Joel Comm — Tue, 09 Apr 2002 12:00:00 +0000

The importance of organ and tissue donation is becoming more and more evident every day. With the advances that medical science is making in the area of anti-rejection drugs, it is very apparent that everyone be educated how important this subject is.

The FamSite today is called The First Family Pledge. It was created with the idea of increasing the awareness of organs and tissues donations, and understanding what all that entails. The family guiding this site Maggie and Reg Green, who made the choice in 1994 to donate their 7-year old son Nicolas’ organs after he was murdered in Italy. The concept of the First Family Pledge Campaign is to motivate families, not just individuals, to pledge to each other to be organ donors in the event of death.

So surf on over to this site, and see who has already signed the pledge. You may be surprised.

http://www.familypledge.org/

The Family Pledge

Joel Comm — Fri, 18 Jan 2002 12:00:00 +0000

So surf on over to this site, and see who has already signed the pledge. You may be surprised.

http://www.familypledge.org/

The Family Pledge

Joel Comm — Sat, 25 Aug 2001 12:00:00 +0000

So surf on over to this site, and see who has already signed the pledge. You may be surprised.

http://www.familypledge.org/

Kukura

Joel Comm — Wed, 07 Apr 1999 12:00:00 +0000

As our world increases in population, the natural resources that we take for granted are rapidly shrinking. Before you know it, the world as we know it may be irreparably harmed.

This is site that is educational as well as informative. It can help show that working together we all can make a difference in the world around us.

http://www.greenkeepers.com/