Operation Christmas Child volunteers Karlee Fry, 21, and Evan Farrar, 19, both of Jackson, place labels on packages at the Colts Neck Community Church. The packages are shipped to children in various parts of the world. FRANK GALIPO The holiday season can be a time of stress, expenses and exhaustion, but it can also be a time of joy for volunteers who seize the opportunity to share their blessings with a child, a needy person or a family in dire straits.
Whether in the form of a warm coat, a new toy or unique trinkets in a festively wrapped shoebox, the gift they provide may be the only one a child receives over the holidays.
Joy Farrar of Jackson is a longtime volunteer for Operation Christmas Child, which provides gifts in a shoebox through a program sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse. The international organization distributes the presents to children in 100 countries. “The message is that God’s love is real,” Farrar said.
Members of the Marine Corps League Cpl. Philip A. Reynolds Detachment 203, Freehold, accept donations for the Toys for Tots program at the Freehold Raceway Mall, Freehold Township, on Dec. 4. STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR The effort provides boxes of items such as crayons, pencils, toy cars, solar calculators, travel games, Legos, balls, stuffed animals, jewelry and watches for a boy or girl age 2 through 14.
“You’d be surprised what you can fit in a shoebox,” Farrar said.
The Colts Neck Community Church, of which Farrar is a member, is designated as a relay station for the shoebox collections. She brought the Operation Christmas Child program to the church 10 years ago, and heads up the shoebox ministry with Miracle Torregrasso of Freehold Borough. Farrar said her sons began making shoeboxes as children and have continued putting them together as young adults.
“We have been blessed,” she said. “And the main thing is to share those blessings with others and let them know God answers prayers.”
Robert Kubiak of Tinton Falls has collected toys for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program for years. Kubiak chairs the effort for the Marine Corps League Cpl. Philip A. Reynolds Detachment 203, Freehold, and said he loves the work.
“I was interested in helping people, and this is a worthy cause in anybody’s book,” he said, adding that he enjoys the involvement and gets to meet “good” people. Postcards and stickers are given to those who contribute to the toy drive.
Toys are collected at the Freehold Raceway Mall, Freehold Township, from Black Friday through Dec. 23.
“I start recruiting detachment members in September for the toy drive to man the boxes at the mall,” Kubiak said.
Last year, the detachment collected more than 4,000 toys at the mall.
While a certain number of toys go to children in the pediatric unit at CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township, most are delivered to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Training Center in Red Bank. There, they are separated based on age and gender, and sorted to fill toy requests from organizations such as daycare centers, churches, the Salvation Army, civic organizations and community outreach groups.
Toys for Tots’ mission is to collect new, unwrapped toys each year from October to December and distribute them as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community where the campaign is conducted.
Retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. John Santelli of Point Pleasant has coordinated the Toys for Tots effort for 16 years at the Red Bank distribution center. Santelli is now serving as special assistant to the program, helping the new coordinator, Sgt. Rick Martoral.
The program began in 1947 and operates in all 50 states. Santelli’s region covers Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties, and parts of Somerset County. Last year, with the help of area veterans’ organizations and many civilian volunteers, the local operation provided almost 14,000 children with two or three presents each.
“I like to help needy children at Christmastime,” Santelli said. “And the community looks forward to seeing the Marines, and Toys for Tots, and are happy to help.”
Toys for Tots collection sites
Bring new, unwrapped toys or cash/check donations to:
Brunswick Square Mall
JCPenney court on Dec. 11-14
and Dec. 17-24
Route 18 south, East Brunswick
Freehold Raceway Mall
second floor
Route 9 south, Freehold
Menlo Park Mall
weekends, lower level near
Nordstrom wing
Route 1 south, Edison
Monmouth Mall
food court by Burger King
Routes 35 and 36, Eatontown
Quakerbridge Mall
lower level near
The Cheesecake Factory
Route 1 north, Lawrenceville
Woodbridge Center
upper level center court
Routes 1 and 9, Woodbridge
Donations also accepted at participating businesses and nationally at Toys R Us and Babies R Us.