Daily Press file photo Volunteers sort through toys at St. Vincent de Paul in Escanaba.

It was another great season for Toys for Tots in the local area as preliminary numbers indicate a successful year.

“Things went very well this year,” said Toys for Tots Coordinator for Delta and Menominee counties, John Jamison.

Toys for Tots, a nonprofit public charity directed by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, has been collecting new, unwrapped toys for children in less fortunate homes since 1947.

This year, local organizations, governmental departments, businesses and individuals showed up and showed out with donations.

“We had some great donors who made great efforts to raise as much money and toys as they could. Catmando’s, Michigan State Police, Riverside Chevy, and the whole Riverside Corporation, the Fall Family Fun Day, and everyone who put money in the collection boxes at local businesses made this year a success,” Jamison said.

In 2023, the Escanaba Toys for Tots distributed 8,500 toys to 1,529 children in need.

Jamison said it looks as if toy donations exceeded last year’s donations.

“We collected more than 50 full boxes of toys from the business that allowed us to collect at their locations,” he said.

Due to the great success of last year’s donations, Toys for Tots was able to provide more toys this year.

“Final numbers are not in, but I would estimate that through local charities and churches we served between 1,450 and 1,600 children and depending on their ages, we provided five or six toys per child,” Jamison said.

While the next application period for Toys for Tots in 2025 isn’t for 10 months, Jamison encourages individuals to get their applications completed and submitted sooner rather than later.

“Applications will open during the first week of October so don’t wait until December to apply,” he said.

Jamison wanted to recognize the community that helps each year to give children in need a holiday they deserve.

“Without the support of this community, there are children who would not have had a toy under the tree this year,” he said.

Toys for Tots is a national organization, completely ran by local volunteers.

“Everyone involved with setting up events, putting out and collecting boxes, sorting and distributing toys takes time from their jobs and families to serve this community,” Jamison said.

“I’d like to thank those who participated this year, and we look forward to starting the next campaign in October 2025.”