GSP, Marines partner with Toys for Tots

Published 12:00 pm Monday, December 3, 2018

By Katelyn Umholtz katelyn.umholtz@gaflnews.com

Katelyn Umholtz | The Valdosta Daily TimesRandall Petty, a volunteer, and Tyler Fowler and Talen Krause, both Marine Corps poolees, work the Toys for Tots donation drive at Walmart, 3274 Inner Perimeter Road. A poolee is a person who has signed up for the Marines but has not yet left for boot camp.

VALDOSTA — Toys for Tots received additional help to replenish its warehouse a little less than a month before Christmas. 

Georgia State Patrol Post 31, members of the Marine Corps and Toys for Tots representatives were in front of the Walmart off Inner Perimeter Saturday accepting cash donations and new, unwrapped toys from customers walking in and out of the store.

The organizations have partnered together for 10 years to give toys to children in Lowndes County, Cpl. Ryan Harding said.

“We’re hoping this is one of the biggest years,” Harding said. “Anything donated today, whether it’s money or toys, goes to the local community.”

In May, the Toys for Tots warehouse was burglarized and almost 1,000 toys were stolen.

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Community partners such as the GSP and the Marine Corps have helped replenish the lost toys, said Lisa Hayden, Toys for Tots coordinator for Lowndes, Echols and Clinch counties.

“It means the world to me because you can’t imagine how much work is involved in this,” Hayden said. “You can’t imagine the support you need. These guys give their time and money. Anything I need, they’re willing to help me.”

The early event invited children to check out squad cars. Harding said it’s important for him and his troopers to be involved in the community, and helping Toys for Tots is one of their favorite ways to do it.

“We’re not just troopers that are on the road and not part of the community,” Harding said. “We’re members of the community, and we don’t want anyone to look at us as on the outside.”

Since opening up applications to individual families instead of just agencies and school systems, Hayden said she has received almost double the amount of applications for children in need of toys this Christmas — from 162 to almost 300.

Combined with family and agency applications, Hayden is looking at handing out about 1,000 toys this season.

“The purpose of Toys for Tots is to bring Christmas to every child and put a smile on every child’s face,” Hayden said. “Who doesn’t like a brand new toy?”

Hayden said there are numerous Toys for Tots donation locations around Valdosta and Lowndes County. 

Katelyn Umholtz is a reporter with the Valdosta Daily Times. She can be contacted at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256.