Toys for Tots is a non-profit organization run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Their mission is to collect unwrapped and unused presents during the holiday season to give away as Christmas presents for less fortunate children around the community in which the campaign is held. Their goal is to not only just give children presents but also to give them hope. Toys for Tots believes everyone should be able to experience the joy of Christmas and be able to open new presents each year.

Toys for Tots covers 700 communities in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The collection of toys begins in October and ends in mid/late December. The toys are then separated by age and gender and are later distributed through churches and other community organizations who then pass the presents out to children in need.

Every year BSM participates in the donation of presents through Toys for Tots. This years collection comes to a completion on December 15, 2017. BSM is proud to say they’ve collected between 2,000 and 2,500 toys/presents. “We [didn’t] really have a “goal.” As with each Common Basket, we hope that our community gives as much as it can,” campus minister Ms. Becca Meagher said.

After collecting the toys on Friday they will be dropped off at the KARE 11 studio and then distributed to families. “We [dropped] off [the presents] at the KARE 11 studio on Friday and then they take the toys to a warehouse where they are sorted and tagged for donations to families who have asked for assistance,” Meager said.

Toys for Tots was the selected organization at BSM for specific reasons. “We know people like to give, especially at Christmas time and who doesn’t like to shop for kids? Toys for Tots has a good reputation for meeting needs of families burdened at this time of year,” Meagher said.