Toys for Tots Preparing for 2016

Bundles of Gifts Need Storage Space

Darlene Lopez is thinking about Christmas in her unique way. Lots of gifts and a place to store and sort them are at the forefront right now.  She’s already begun collecting gifts for underprivileged area youth, some from donations and some from unsold items from local yard sales.  What she really needs is a permanent location to conduct business, “I need a large enough building with utilities, so we can clean, sort and prepare to distribute the gifts through the area on December 24^th,” she said recently.

Lopez, Family & Volunteers from Earlier Campaign

It’s been a familiar situation as there really hasn’t been a permanent site for the annual Toys for Tots campaign for years. The Car Palace stepped in to assist last year and the year before, Lincoln School was used.  Prior to that, the County Annex was the base of operations and some vacant office space on the south side of the Village Shopping Center had been used as far back as a decade, but there was never anyplace that became permanent.

Lopez is just looking for a place now. She said she’s waiting to learn if she’ll be able to return to the Car Palace for another year.  For the time being, donations are stored at Paul’s Body Shop on Highway 50 just west of Lamar.  She said collection boxes will soon be set up around the area as in a few days, Christmas will be down counting in the double digits on the calendar and her need for operating space will become critical.  Darlene Lopez can be reached at 688-0167 if someone has a suggestion for a site, or if there are appropriate gifts suitable for youngsters that weren’t sold following a yardsale, give her a call for a pick-up time.

By Russ Baldwin