Thousands of Quad City children will have presents under the tree this Christmas thanks to your support of the Toys for Tots program.
On Thursday, December 11, 2014, kids, Santa, and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve filled the WQAD studios to pack up thousands of donated toys and load them into the truck.
Among the volunteers were students from the Rock Island Center for Math and Science. RICMS raised $400 for Toys for Tots.
"It's just very important to give back, because I mean, we're very fortunate kids, we have so much stuff. But it just feels so great to give back to people that don't have all this stuff," said sixth grader Jackson Hansen. "We do it because it's a great thing to do!"
The toys are then taken to the Toys for Tots warehouse in Davenport, where volunteers sort the presents for distribution to needy families.
"When we hand the actual toys to the families and see the smile on their face... they feel like there's hope for them, you know? And I think that's the best part for me," said Staff Sgt. Michael Brown.
If you registered to receive toys, there will be three days for distribution this year: December 19, 20, and 21 from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Pickup date was determined at registration.
Distribution will be at 5402 Tremont Ave, Davenport, IA.