Christmas came early for the youth in Riverbank thanks to a collaborative effort through the Toys for Tots Foundation. The cars lined Santa Fe Street this past Saturday, Dec. 17 for the toy distribution held at the Cardozo Middle School Auditorium.
The toy collection was held for a few weeks beginning in November and ended a few days before the distribution. There were donation boxes placed at several different locations throughout the community.
The Riverbank Toys for Tots committee is a collaboration of Central Valley Community Resources (CVCR), Casa del Rio, Valley Improvement Projects and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. The group expressed gratitude for the support from Riverbank Save Mart, Riverbank Target, Blue Shield of California, Riverbank Unified School District (RUSD), Riverbank Pentecostal Church, and Riverbank Community Collaborative and all the volunteers that made the toy distribution a success this holiday season.
CVCR CEO Darlene Barber Martinez has been instrumental in organizing and continuing the Toys for Tots collection and distribution each year in Riverbank.
Martinez added that there were 32 volunteers on Saturday that assisted in the distribution including two Riverbank Police Services (RPS) Deputies, Santa Claus, and his helper. There were volunteers from Boy Scout Troop 1100, St. Frances of Rome Church, and RUSD there as well.
“There were a lot of donations this year,” said Martinez. “There were 197 families that were assisted this year and 467 children received gifts. No one was left without this holiday season. This event would not have been possible without our collaboration with businesses, car clubs and individuals in our community that donated toys.”
The group collected a variety of toys from stuffed animals in all sizes and colors, games, skateboards, scooters, books, bikes, dolls, balls, and much more. The registration was for kids from infants to 12 years old and they had 43 teens that registered as well.
They did a random raffle drawing for a bike and surprised an individual with a new bike.
“Five of the teens, ages 13 to 18, were adopted by teachers and advisors at RUSD,” stated Martinez. “In addition, Riverbank Pentecostal Church adopted all 38 teens.”
Martinez shared that a highlight from the day was the assistance from the Deputies and Santa waving to the kids. She said that the families were “very appreciative and just as excited as the kids.”
The Marine Toys for Tots Program’s mission is to provide new toys to children that are less fortunate during Christmastime sending a message of hope. The foundation is a 501c3 public charity.
