Drop-off boxes, ‘train trees’ at numerous locations in county
Toys for Tots will continue to provide Christmas gifts for families in Gilmer County this year, although the continuing COVID-19 pandemic is having some impact on the U.S. Marines-sponsored toy drive.
Ret. Marine Sgt. A.J. LeCompte, who’s led the local Toys for Tots effort the past 11 years, said the drive officially started here in late October. It will look a little different this year, and the application process will also be somewhat different, he noted.
This year’s official Toys for Toys central location is in the former location of Fresenius Kidney Care at 941 Progress Road. Gilmer residents who need toys for their children can fill out applications there. New, unwrapped toys can also be left in a donation box in front of the building.
“Luckily, it’s a building that used to be a medical building so it has separate exam rooms (where volunteers can work),” said LeCompte. “I have some regulars who contacted me this year and said, even with COVID, they still wanted to volunteer.”
Toy drop-off boxes have also been put up at several businesses around the county. Those include Walmart, 1st Franklin Financial, Bealls Outlet, IHOP, Ace Hardware, Cornerstone Cafe, Ingle’s and TJ & Company Antiques.
There are also Toys for Tots Train Trees at Regions Bank, IHOP and 1st Franklin Financial, LeCompte noted. Similar to “angel trees,” they include tags that can be removed by persons who want to purchase and donate toys to the cause.
“There are trains on the tree. On (each one) is a boy or a girl, the age group and what we need. If someone wants to buy something and doesn’t know what we need, they can go to one of these locations and get a train off one of the trees,” LeCompte said.
This year, Toys for Tots applications can be picked up or filled out at Faith, Hope and Charity Recycle Store and the Gilmer Community Food Pantry (on Wednesday mornings), as well as the local headquarters.
“We hope people will be able to (apply at) one of those three. In past years, many families who needed toys registered at the local DFACS office, which is closed (to the public),” LeCompte said.
Applications will be accepted from 10 a.m.-4 or 5 p.m. Monday-Friday at the headquarters next door to Bryant Physical Therapy.
“When people arrive at the Toys for Tots building to fill out an application, they will have no contact with people whatsoever,” LeCompte said. “There’s a table in the foyer with applications on it and a box they can slide the forms into. At the front entrance of Faith, Hope and Charity, it’s set up exactly the same way. They can just fill out an application and drop it in the box.”
Safety precautions to prevent virus exposure are a new, additional step going into the 2020 toy drive.
“We actually sanitize the building every couple of hours,” LeCompte said. “People who volunteer can be in different rooms, (but), if they leave the room, they wear a face mask. When entering the building, they have to have a mask on and sanitize their hands. Instead of scanning their foreheads, we take their temperature on the inside of the wrist, which gives you exactly the same temperature.”
Added precautions will also be in place for toy pickups, he noted.
“If you come to pick up toys, you’ll drive to the rear of the building. You can stay in your car, get your ID out and put it up to the closed window so we can see who it is. We get their bags, they pop the trunk and we put the bags in the trunk,” LeCompte said.
The toy drive had already served almost 30 local families by last week, but many more are expected to be served before the end of this month.
“I’ve seen as many as 60-80 families a week as we get closer to Christmas,” LeCompte said.
Enough people have already volunteered to wrap gifts and do other tasks this year, he added.
“We’re not taking walk-in volunteers. Due to COVID and our social distancing criteria, we only allow volunteers to enter the building if they have a pre-arranged appointment,” LeCompte noted.
Tough year for fundraising
Jim Adams, a retired U.S. Marine who’s lived here since 2015, said volunteering for the local Toys for Tots program is becoming somewhat of a family tradition for himself, his wife, their daughter and seven of their 21 grandchildren who are helping to wrap toys this year.
“They know it’s for kids who need toys, and they like helping people out and being involved,” said Adams. “It started shortly after we moved to Georgia from the Maryland/DC area. We did Toys for Tots down in Riverdale. My wife and I and my daughter went to Atlanta to get the toys and bring them down. After we moved here, we didn’t do it the first year. We saw the signage the second year and delivered toys then. That’s what got us involved.”
With the pandemic limiting publicity and fundraising options, the local Toys for Tots team is having to think outside the box in terms of letting folks know the drive is still happening in Gilmer County, Adams noted.
“We don’t always have the same location so people don’t always know that it’s going to happen, and you also (have) COVID this year,” he said. “Word is slowly getting out because we’re putting out boxes and putting up fliers in places. I’m happy we’re out there and glad to see the public is still trying to be involved. Toys for Tots has been around for over 70 years, and people need to know we’re still doing it. The kids still need to get Christmas.”
Fundraising opportunities have been greatly reduced compared to last year, noted LeCompte. In 2019, a gift-basket raffle fundraiser was conducted and tickets were sold at several well-attended public events. That helped more than 1,100 children receive toys as part of last year’s local Toys for Tots effort.
This year, those kinds of big events and festivals are nonexistent.
“We’re having a tougher time this year,” LeCompte said. “We took the raffle to all these venues and that’s how we sold tickets. Because there’s no (events), there’s really no way for us to run a raffle this year. I’m a little concerned we may run out of toys or get to a point where a kid gets two toys, instead of four.”
Monetary donations are welcome and they can be made online at Ellijay-ga.ToysforTots.org. For more details, LeCompte can be contacted at ellijay.ga@toysfortots.org or 706-636-2129.
Donations of money and toys made in Gilmer County are used to help children in this county only, LeCompte noted.
“We know we’re going to get hit hard because of COVID and layoffs. We’re looking for donations of new, unwrapped toys or money that I can use to buy toys wholesale at a third to half of what you would pay retail,” he said.