BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Dawn breaks on Christmas morning.
No need for the sun to nudge the children from their slumber. The anticipation of learning what wonderful presents Santa has left for them has awakened them for some time.
The kids excitedly bound down the stairs.
They look under the tree.
Imagine their heartbreak upon learning Santa has forgotten them.
For many financially strapped families in the Lehigh Valley, that scenario is a reality. Buying even one present for each of their children is a challenge, if not an impossibility.
That painful truth underscores the importance of the Toys for Tots Lehigh Valley campaign.
“We do this to make sure less fortunate families have toys for their children to open on Christmas."Marine Corps Reserve SSgt. Christopher Olson, coordinator, Toys for Tots Lehigh Valley
Volunteers collect new, unwrapped toys that generous neighbors place in one of 193 drop boxes throughout Lehigh and Northampton counties.
The toys are sorted by gender and ages — newborn to 12 — at the program’s Whitehall Township warehouse and distributed to needy families who applied to become a recipient.
To ensure those kids look under the tree on Christmas morning and know Santa has not forgotten them.
“We do this to make sure less fortunate families have toys for their children to open on Christmas,” said Marine Corps Reserve Staff Sgt. Christopher Olson, who is in his third year as local Toys for Tots coordinator.
According to a study by Qualtrics on behalf of Credit Karma, 39% of Americans say they are unable to afford gifts this holiday season.
That's especially true among respondents with household incomes below $50,000 — 51% of whom say they’re unable to afford gifts because of factors such as the rising cost of living and living paycheck to paycheck.
“When people in the community donate a toy, it lets those families know their neighbors are thinking about them and their kids.”Marine Corps Reserve SSgt. Christopher Olson, coordinator, Toys for Tots Lehigh Valley
“Some families are on a tight budget,” Olson said. “They have to make a choice to pay the heat or electric bill or buy Christmas presents for their kids.
“When people in the community donate a toy, it lets those families know their neighbors are thinking about them and their kids.”
Last year, Toys for Tots Lehigh Valley delivered 120,000 toys to about 27,000 children.
“The past few years we’ve been able to donate about four presents per child,” Olson said. “People have been very generous about filling our drop boxes.”
Beginning Monday, volunteers will begin collecting the toys from drop boxes. However, more than 1,000 toys already have been distributed to local children’s hospitals and the Salvation Army Allentown.
“We collect toys from people into January and February and keep those in our warehouse, to use as starter gifts early on,” Olson said. “We wrap them up to make sure they don’t get dirty during the year.”
“I’ve met with some of those parents at local events the past few years. They come up to me and say thank you, that we’re really helped them out. They say that it was one less thing for them to worry or stress about, and that it lets them use whatever money they have to pay some bills. That’s why donating a toy to Toys for Tots is so very important to people in our community.”Marine Corps Reserve SSgt. Christopher Olson, coordinator, Toys for Tots Lehigh Valley
The Toys For Tots program was founded in the 1940s by Marines who saw World War II’s devastating impact on children in Europe. The campaign is in its 76th year in the United States.
Olson can only imagine the looks on the faces of joyous children who get Toys for Tots gifts on Christmas morning.
But he said he gets a sense of their appreciation when he meets their parents.
“I’ve met with some of those parents at local events the past few years,” Olson said. “They come up to me and say thank you, that we’re really helped them out.
"They say that it was one less thing for them to worry or stress about, and that it lets them use whatever money they have to pay some bills.
“That’s why donating a toy to Toys for Tots is so very important to people in our community.”
For more information on the Toys For Tots Lehigh Valley campaign, go to https://allentown-pa.toysfortots.org.
