Drop off “Toys for Tots” at PWC-Manassas-ManassasPark fire stations

The Prince William Department of Fire and Rescue and the members of the Fire and Rescue System have begun collecting toys for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation. This year’s event will run through Dec. 14.

New and unwrapped toys can be dropped at any Prince William County, City of Manassas Park or Manassas City fire station. Toys may also be left at the Prince William County Public Safety Training Center in Nokesville or the lobby at the McCoart Government Center in Woodbridge.

Clothes and used toys cannot be accepted, so why not give these to churches and shelters in your neighborhood.

All toys will be delivered to the Toys for Tots collection site for processing and delivery to pre-authorized organizations who have requested toys. Fire stations are not permitted to deliver gifts directly to children. Not only are “toys” needed for young children but gifts such as books, sports equipment, games, cosmetics, electronics and more for older children, pre-teens and teens are needed too

Toys for Tots is a national charity program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve.

Toys are collected and distributed to less fortunate children whose parents may be struggling financially and unable to purchase gifts during the traditional Christmas Holiday Season.

It is the only charitable endeavor associated with the Department of Defense that reaches out to local communities. The program was started in 1947, in California, by Maj. William L. Hendricks and was inspired by his wife, Diane, when she tried to donate a doll to a needy child but could not find an organization to accept it.

At Diane’s suggestion, Maj. Hendricks gathered a group of local Marine reservists who coordinated and collected 5,000 toys for local children. Hendricks used his position as director of public relations at Warner Brothers Studio to enlist celebrity support and later asked his friend, Walt Disney, to design a poster for a national campaign. The result was the three-car, red train logo.