ROCKAWAY — Representatives of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar presented a check for $113,000 to the U.S. Marines Corps in support of its Toys for Tots program.
The funds were raised during Applebee’s annual Breakfast with Santa events held in New Jersey, in which 100 percent of the proceeds benefited underprivileged children in local communities during the holiday season.
Local restaurants raised the following funds for the toy program: Brick ($2,994), Edison ($2,060), Howell ($3,919), Manalapan ($3,104), Middletown ($2,794), Ocean ($1,242), Tinton Falls ($3,692) and Woodbridge ($2,685).
Over the past 18 years, Applebee’s locations, owned and operated by Doherty Enterprises in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and Long Island, have raised more than $4.1 million for the Toys for Tots initiative, helping to spread holiday cheer to over 230,000 children.
Toys for Tots, a 69-year national charitable program run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, provides happiness and hope to disadvantaged children during each Christmas holiday season. The toys, books and other gifts collected and distributed by the Marines offer these children recognition, confidence and a positive memory for a lifetime. For more information, visit www.toysfortots.org.