Returning to the Brazos Valley after a five year hiatus, Toys for Tots will continue its important mission of ensuring that all children in the area will have a toy to wake up to on Christmas morning.
The program, which originated in the Brazos Valley area in 2012, was first brought to fruition in 1947 by Marine Corps Reserve Major Bill Hendricks and his wife Diane, who wanted to help bring Christmas joy to children. Since that first toy drive, the program has grown to help support families across the nation and help with the financial burdens of the holiday that many families see, Brazos Valley coordinator Bucky Bachmeyer says.
“It's grown to over 700 different campaigns all over the United States that do exactly what we do here locally — and the most simple answer to what we do is we collect toys and monetary donations for toys to distribute them to families that are in need, that might not otherwise get to enjoy Christmas,” Bucky says. “It's all about the children and really how we can make a bright holiday season for everybody.”
As a part of their campaign, Bucky says their chapter has chosen to help children from pregnant mothers and newborns all the way to those who are 18. Parents who are accepted are able to come to the warehouse on a designated day and pick toys for their children to help find what exactly their children will open on Christmas morning. For those wondering what they need most, Bucky says a huge need is products for newborns and toddler as well as older children ages 14 to 18.
“Any of the popular toys, those are the things that go first — for the younger kids, it's ninja turtles, transformers, WWE, Barbie and Legos,” he says. “The ones that we usually need the most help with every year are the baby's newborn to around three years old and then the older kids like 14 to 18. We’re looking for developmental items and for the older kids anything electronic: headphones, earbuds, handheld games, wireless speakers, hair dryers, make-up and arts kits.”
Ending their last campaign in 2016, Bucky says the team serviced over 800 families gifting presents to over 3,200 children in the seven county Brazos Valley region. This year, the team has taken on an additional two counties now serving Brazos, Grimes, Robertson, Madison, Leon, Burleson, Washington, Waller and Austin.
The local community can help the Brazos Valley drive by grabbing toys for those within the designated age range and taking them to any of the community drop off boxes between Nov. 1 and Dec. 13.
“It really is an organization where people can feel comfortable and secure,” Bucky says. “Doing this firsthand, you see the gratitude of the parents — I've had parents come up and hug me with tears in their eyes. It's not a glaringly obvious need here in Brazos County, but then when you see the turnout that we get you realize that it is something that the community does need, and that there's kids everywhere that might not have gifts on Christmas morning and so it really does help fill a need and bring a smile to a kid’s face.”
To learn more about Brazos Valley Toys for Tots, visit toysfortots.org and find the tab for the Brazos County chapter. Individuals, businesses and community members can also find links to sign up to be a beneficiary, donate online and places to volunteer.
Community members can drop off new and unwrapped toys or activities for children ages newborn to 18 at any of the Bryan/College Station location until Dec. 13. To see an updated list, see the Toys for Tots website.
