‘Toys for Tots’ looking for more donations this Holiday Season
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.,( KRDO) - Santa's Elves at the 'Toys for Tots' warehouse on N. Hancock Ave. are taping up boxes and getting things ready for this year's deliveries, but they need your help more than ever this year.
Russ Miller, 'Toys for Tots' coordinator for the Pikes Peak region looks forward to this every year, but on his eighth year on the job, is a little worried about meeting this year's demand.
"The big thing is that these kids know that they haven't been forgotten, that Santa didn't forget them and it is really restoring that hope," added Miller.
Miller says this year it is more important than ever to meet the demand.
"By this time of year we have had a lot of toys than we do by now and also by this time we've received a lot of in kind donations by corporations and those haven't started showing up yet, normally they'd be here end of October, early November," added Miller.
It's now the middle of November and they are far from their goal of 40,000 toys.
He believes part of the reason for this delay could be hugely in part to the supply issues going on nationwide.
"Now we are coming up on Thanksgiving and normally we are already filling in requests for schools and we just don't have the toys for us to do that so we are still waiting," added Miller.
According to Miller the need is greater this season, last year they were able to deliver toys to about 23-thousand kids across El Paso county---this year they need 40-thousand toys to make that happen across El Paso county and Pueblo.
The reason for the need has a lot to do with not many parents working during this time.
"Not as many people at work, so not drawing a paycheck and parents are less likely to be by toys when you have to put food on the table so, priorities," added Miller.
'Toys for Tots' delivers thousands of toys to children across the region every holiday season.
This year they also need more toys for two specific categories, infants and young teens.
The organization is also short on volunteers -- and looking for help.
For more head on over to their website.
