There was no sea of bicycles this year at the Toys for Tots distribution event Thursday. Instead, the metallic steeds were replaced by a table lined with row after row of gift cards. Frank Kleckner, a leader with the Toys
There was no sea of bicycles this year at the Toys for Tots distribution event Thursday. Instead, the metallic steeds were replaced by a table lined with row after row of gift cards.
Frank Kleckner, a leader with the Toys for Tots campaign, said the cards held a combined $6,000 — about a grand more than the year before. Kleckner said they opted to skip over bicycles this year for several reasons. Bicycles hold up over time, and in some cases, they end up being delivered to children who received one the year before.
In addition, the gift cards proved particularly appealing for the slightly older beneficiaries of Toys for Tots.
“This is so we can take care of the older children and teens,” Kleckner said. “In the past, this is the age group that fell through the cracks. But this year, we have gift cards from Borders, Wal-Mart and Kmart so those children will have a brighter holiday season.”
For the younger recipients, however, wrapped toys remained popular as ever Thursday, when toys, accessories and other goodies were passed out at the Big Kmart store to the Salvation Army, which will deliver them in time for Christmas.
The annual Toys for Tots campaign is spearheaded by the U.S. Marine Corps League in partnership with the Salvation Army, Wal-Mart and Kmart.
