Butler Toys for Tots distributes toys to thousands
CENTER TWP — Thousands of parents are able to give their children a little more for the holidays thanks to the work of Butler’s Toys for Tots program.
The distribution of toys for the Butler area is running for three days, from Wednesday, Dec. 18, to Dec. 20, at the Clearview Mall. The mall donated four storefronts for those efforts, allowing the volunteers to set up separate storefronts for items tailored toward teens and nearly 250 donated bikes.
The program is managed by state Trooper Matthew P. Thurner and co-coordinated by Machelle Krumpe. With the help of numerous volunteers, Thurner believes his first year as coordinator is a huge success.
“I know we are going to serve more than last year,” Thurner said. “We haven’t got our numbers yet, but we’re going to be above 2,400 this year.”
Despite a challenging economic year, Thurner was proud to report that the number of donations remained high.
The event also saw a healthy mix of new and returning volunteers and received further volunteer support from local organizations.
“We reached out to the Red Cross this year, and some of the Boy Scouts, and they’ve actually come in and have been helping us,” Krumpe said. “We’re always looking for new volunteers.”
“My volunteer force of the die-hard set have been here getting ready to pass on the torch,” Thurner added. “Hopefully we can get some younger blood in here to help out with it.”
The organization was also supported by many local businesses, such as Natili North, Texas Roadhouse and Confections & Crust Co. who have donated food for the volunteers.
“They’re behind the front lines. They don’t get acknowledged, no one ever sees it, but they’re the ones feeding us and keeping us going through it,” Thurner said.
For parents who utilized the service, emotions of thankfulness and relief were commonly expressed. Many parents hugged their assigned volunteer on the way out.
For Mindy Neff, a local real estate agent and mother of three, the distribution helped fill the gaps after a challenging year.
“It was a pretty crummy year, but having this available makes all the difference,” Neff said.
For Neff and many other parents, one of the most beloved features was the organization’s toy distribution method, which allowed parents to ‘shop’ for toys that fit the specific needs and wants of their children.
One parent said that she preferred this model over other Toys for Tots chapters, which usually give the parent a prepackaged bag of toys based on provided details.
The Butler chapter switched to their current shopping-style model in 2019 after hearing complaints about premade bags. While volunteers said that the model is much more hectic, it leaves more parents satisfied.
