Toys for Tots gathers thousands for area children
Hundreds of people attended an event at the Brick House in Butler Thursday night, with food, music, a photo booth, and lots and lots of toys.
Chuck Swidzinski, a sales associate and team leader at Berkshire Hathaway who helps coordinate the event, said the annual Toys for Tots gift drive party isn’t even the best part of his season.
“I think the best part is when you're up at the mall when they give toys away, people come with their vouchers,” Swidzinski said. “It's going to make their kids' Christmas. It's nice to see that we can help people have Christmas for their children.”
Swidzinski and his team work in tandem with local county Marines and Marine veterans, who have distributed toys to county families for the past 10 years. Swidzinski credited Jared Sullivan, a listing agent for Berkshire Hathaway, with coming up with the idea for the Toys for Tots drive, and later helping suggest it to area Marines.
The drive on Thursday is an annual opportunity for people to help the cause during a night of fun that costs only a toy, and, according to Swidzinski, the event has grown larger and larger in the 11 years it has been hosted.
“The first year I think we got, like, 200 toys,” Swidzinski said. “Now we get like 2,000 toys, and we don't even know the count of people who come.”
Machell Krumpe of Karns City, has been coordinating Toys for Tots in Butler County for years, and said the community has made it a successful program each year.
Her son, Chad Krumpe, a county Marine veteran, also helps coordinate the program.
“It's surprising how many people it does help,” Machell Krumpe said. “You have so many kids and parents you help.”
Toys piled up by the Christmas tree in the Brick House as the hours went by. They will be distributed to registered families Dec. 14 to Dec. 16 at the Clearview Mall.
Krumpe said the drive collects a variety of toys, which is good for giving families with several children different presents, but the organization could always use more toys aimed at children 9 and older.
“We're very fortunate how many toys we can get and give out,” Krumpe said.
The Bantam Marine Corps helps collect toys for Toys for Tots, and helps give them out through the distribution.
Marine Corps veteran Sam Zurzolo said the program is much needed in Butler County, which is why it is so gratifying to take part in.
“People actually cry, they are so grateful for us,” Zurzolo said.
Krumpe said the toys and donations that are not used in the December giveaway are sometimes given out through other initiatives. For example, members of the Marine Corps took some toys to Florida last month after the southern part of the state was ravaged by a hurricane.
“We'll donate to things like that also, it's not strictly Christmas,” she said.
The money given by guests on the night of the toy drive further helps Toys for Tots get presents to local children.
“We get donations from other people, which helps pay for the food, for everything that we do,” Swidzinski said. “The next week my team goes and we go shopping with extra money and buy toys. I think we spent $3,000 that we had extra last year.”
The Marines will transport the pile of toys to the Clearview Mall, where they will distribute the gifts to families who have vouchers. Toys will still be accepted for Toys for Tots at the Berkshire Hathaway office at 248 New Castle Road.
Swidzinski got emotional while recalling the items his team had collected already.
“The things people give,” Swidzinski said. “They bring in big bikes for the kids, and that's really touching. Boxes and boxes of toys going to the kids. It makes me tear up.”
