GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – It’s the Salvation Army’s biggest event of the year: Christmas assistance toy distribution.
The first toys were delivered to registered families Tuesday and continued Wednesday at the Salvation Army’s distribution headquarters at the former Shopko location on the east side.
Organizers say especially around the holidays, the generosity from the greater Green Bay community is overwhelming.
“It’s not just those families that are low income that are struggling, it’s really everyone being impacted in certain ways,” says Becky Darrow, the director of social services for the Salvation Army of Green Bay. “So, to still have this much support from people, even though everyone is kind of pinching their pennies, is really heartwarming to see.”
The organization’s Christmas toy distribution is its biggest event, with thousands of toys donated for thousands of area kids — more kids than they used to see.
“Compared to years ago, we’re seeing the need higher than before. This year, it’s about on par with where we were last year, but last year and this year, we’ve seen the numbers go up by hundreds, so it’s gone up recently,” Darrow adds.
Despite the increase in registered families, every kid and teen — all 6,300 of them — will get a gift, a book, stocking stuffers and warm clothing this holiday.
“We love to give to kids, they deserve that, right? Every kid deserves to go back to school after break and say, ‘Oh, this is what Santa got me!’ and have that same feeling,” Darrow adds.
Every family at the toy distribution is also sent home with a box of food for a Christmas meal.
We like to include that because we’re seeing the food needs go up as well around the holidays, but just since summer the pantry program we’ve seen — normally we would serve 150 to 170 households a month, and now we’re serving well over 250 a month.
Darrow says while some of the food is donated by companies and businesses, the organization does spend money to ensure every family has what they need for a hearty Christmas meal. But the overall community generosity isn’t unnoticed.
“It’s neighbors helping neighbors and that’s what it’s all about.”
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