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By Kris Harrell

Lowndes County residents had the opportunity to pick up toys and gifts donated through the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program.

The Toys for Tots program is a charity that collects and redistributes toys, books and games to families in need. This year, Hayneville was one of the pick-up locations where families could pick up the items they needed to give their children a merry Christmas.

Michelle Sousa, coordinator for Lowndes and Butler counties, has been organizing the families’ applications for Toys for Tots in the two counties.

“Toys for Tots started in 1947, and our goal is to collect locally and give back locally,” Sousa said. “[For] each child, we get the toys, and we take them back. After the applications are submitted, [we] fill those orders, [then] call, text and email families.”

Every child received a few toys, stocking stuffers and trinkets through the program. Additionally, the organization’s literacy program provides books for the children. 

On top of the bags of toys for the children, families were able to pick up free cups and goodie bags filled with toy cars, pencils and pens. 

“We don’t do home deliveries, and we don’t then send things out; it’s a pickup,” Sousa said. “We have so many [pickups] from November and December. We have over 20-30 different pickups, so it’s important to pick up on the day that you’re assigned.”

Georgiana residents were able to pick up items locally this year and Georgiana volunteer point of contact, Bernard Rudolph, has been volunteering with Toys for Tots for the past five years. 

Before helping in Butler County, Rudolph got his start with Toys for Tots by volunteering with them in Orlando, Florida. 

“It’s a volunteer service that we try to reach out for the kids that are in the individual, local communities, and provide for them wherever we can help out,” Rudolph said. “It’s been good that we have a Toys for Tots program down in our local community or rural areas, because there’s a lot of kids that need to be reached out here.”

Toys for Tots and Sousa has served over 4,400 children in the Butler County and Lowndes County areas this year, with around 110 children in the Georgiana area. 

For more information about Toys for Tots and how to apply for next Christmas, visit https://www.toysfortots.org/