A more than 50-year old group, Toys for Tots is run by the U.S. Marine Corps and has a nationwide reach.

Locally, Toys for Tots has been active for many years, and offers several drop-off locations in the area for people to donate toys.

Carol Nemec, Toys for Tots assistant local coordinator for the Waller, Fort Bend and North Harris County area, said that the tough economic climate has caused the demand for toys this year to surge.

“Our client number has close to doubled,” Nemec said. “There are so many people out of work and in need that this year we’re really going to work hard because there are a lot of children in this area that are impoverished.”

Nemec said the group has been busy preparing for the kickoff of the drive, which begins this week, by placing drop-off boxes at sites around the area.

The drive begins in November and ends the first week of December, in order for the group to disperse the toys effectively.

“We need enough time to get the toys to the people who need the toys,” she said.

The organization consists entirely of volunteers, of which Nemec said there are “hundreds.”

Last year, between three and four thousand children were served by Toys for Tots, Nemec said.

“Through the generosity of the local community, we were able to do that, despite the economy,” she said.

And that’s a number she believes will double this year.

“Anybody who volunteers with assistance offices knows that our client number has close to doubled,” she said. “There are so many people out of work and in need.”

Each child involved in the program receives three new toys. Toys for Tots only accepts new, unwrapped toys.

There are drop-off locations at all Montgomery County libraries in Conroe, Magnolia, Montgomery, New Caney, Willis and The Woodlands.

A Toy for Tots kick-off will be held Nov. 2 at 9:30 a.m. at the Montgomery County Central Library in Conroe. Local Marines who served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan and who are involved in the Toys for Tots program will be present.

Last year, more than 13,000 children in Montgomery County received toys on Christmas Day through the Toys for Tots organization, according to Scott Bartholomew, Commandant of U.S. Marine Corps Eastex Detachment #779.

Nemec believes that the toys inspire hope for children in need.

“If you’re a child, you have to have something that gives you hope, especially if you’re in an impoverished situation. I think of when I was a child on Christmas Eve, thinking about getting a toy,” she said. “It’s a little thing, but it is hope for them.”

For more information on donating or applying to Toys for Tots, visit www.toysfortots.org.

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