by Tony Gonzalez
November 9, 2010 3:13 PM
As the year draws to an end and the holiday season grows near people begin to once again think about peace on earth and good will towards men. With purse strings tighter across the nation for everyone it becomes even more important for people to get involved so that those who are less fortunate can have a happy holiday season as well.
Every year there are millions of children that stand to go through the holidays without ever seeing a present under the tree on Christmas morning. Charities across the nation reach out in order to try and put smiles on as many young faces as possible. One organization in particular has been working every Christmas for 62 years to do what it can, the Toys for Tots Program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserves.
In that time they have been able to collect and distribute over 400 million toys to close to 200 million children. However, in that time they have often had help from others in collecting, storing and in distributing holiday cheer and this year is no different.
A number of self-storage facilities around the country have partnered with the U.S. Marines to do their part. Some act as points where people can drop toys off and many offer to store the collected toys until it is time for them to be distributed. Many offer discounts to donors in order to encourage more people to give at a time when donations are needed most.
In California, Ose Properties have three self-storage facilities that will be used as drop-off sites for the Toys for Tots program. Hoping to encourage donors they are offering a chance for people to win a $100 credit towards their storage needs.
“We are delighted to help children in our area,” said Ose Properties, Inc. representative Susan Ose. “Our hope is that we can contribute to many children’s happiness in the coming holiday season.”
Over on the East Coast in the New Jersey/ New York area Hampshire Self-Storage has partnered with the U.S. Marines to be a part of Toys for Tots. Ten of 11 locations will be official drop off points for donors. Each participating facility will also be donating storage space through December 12 when the toys are taken to kids in need.
In southern California, A-1 Self-Storage will be joining forces with the Marines to take part in the Toys for Tots Program. Their 40 facilities across San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange County will all be official drop off locations for donors to leave their new or unused toys this holiday season.
“We understand that the recession and high employment threatens to deprive many children of getting a gift this Christmas,” said Brian Caster, president and CEO of A-1’s parent company Caster Cos. “We feel it is important to bring hope and the joy of Christmas to needy children. Last year’s event was a huge success, and we hope to be able to collect even more toys for deserving children this year.”
Sources Used:
Toys for Tots drop off sites, Oct 26, 2010; http://www.rocklintoday.com/news
Hampshire Self-Storage, a Local Business with a Heart. Nov 3, 2010; www.extraspace.com/news
A-1 Self-Storage Supports U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots via 40 Locations. http://www.insideselfstorage.com/news
Toys for Tots Foundation; http://www.toysfortots.org/default.asp.