Toys for Tots sees a great response again this year

About 100 volunteers came out Sunday to the Kalispell National Guard Armory to unload thousands of toys for the annual Marine Corps Toys for Tots program.

The program will serve about 800 local families again this year, said coordinator Kelly Hamilton of Columbia Falls.

All of the toys are brand new, still in packaging. In addition to toys, about $30,000 in cash was raised through a radiothon by members of Bee Broadcasting, so the program can go out and buy more toys if need be.

The volunteers came from all over the valley, Hamilton said — church groups, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, 4-H and many more.

“Look,” Hamilton said as they unloaded toys. “We even have a little football player over there.”

Perhaps most interesting was the sheer number of children helping out — kids helping kids.

The local Hamilton Group Limited (no relation) also donated boxes of toys that didn’t sell last year. Those toys were still in the shipping boxes.

The program helps out less fortunate families with children from ages 4 to 16.

Families started picking out toys today and will continue through Friday, Hamilton said.

The nationwide program is now in its 75th year. Last year 20,994 toys were given out to 2,257 local kids, according to its website.