In its 75th year of operation, the Marine Corps League based out of Hudson Falls will continue its seventh annual “Tri-County Toys for Girls and Boys” program.
Application days for parents and guardians to register their children to receive gifts for Christmas are set for Nov. 15, 16 and 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Marine Corps League building at 3033 U.S. Route 4, Hudson Falls.
Commandant Mike Fish, chief of staff Jerry Austin, secretary Lynn Stanton and sergeant at arms VanDyke Bergen gathered with NYVT Media to talk about the importance of giving back to Washington-Warren-Northern Saratoga County families that may not be able to afford Christmas presents for their children.
“For whatever personal reasons they had, they wanted to give back,” Stanton said of the founding members of the Hudson Falls Marine Corps League branch.
“It’s just a feel-good thing,” Bergen said.
The group said last year the “Toys for Girls and Boys” program picked up Whitehall’s Toys for Tots coverage, and that will continue again this year.
The collective effort of active members, life members, wives, other agencies and organizations and volunteers makes the donation process possible, said Austin.
This year, donated gifts are aiming to be geared appropriate for boys and girls 10-12 years old.
“Most people tend to think of the younger children,” Fish said.
To help paint an idea of what to donate, Stanton said boys in that age frame like sporting and outdoor equipment with girls liking arts and crafts.
For the application process, the rules will be the same as last year under Covid-19, with individuals filling out the paperwork from the comfort of their cars and handing the completed clipboard back to a member of the Marine Corps League.
“Nobody’s got to come into the building for the obvious concerns,” Stanton said.
Individuals who are receiving gifts from other organizations will be disqualified from receiving gifts for their children through “Toys for Girls and Boys” to prevent “double dipping.”
The group wanted to thank their more than 75 sponsors for financially supporting them to be able to support underprivileged children throughout the region. One of those sponsors is Telescope Casual Furniture Inc., which constructed several collection boxes for the toys to be dropped off at numerous businesses.
Last year, around 750 children received gifts through “Toys for Girls and Boys”, with past years seeing upwards of 900.
