Toys For Tots: How To Help In Wilmette

WILMETTE, IL — While you’re checking off holiday gifts for family members, don’t forget the kids who aren’t on anyone’s shopping list and pick up some items for the Toys for Tots campaign in Wilmette.

Sponsored by the Marine Corps Reserves since 1991, Toys for Tots is organized locally in Cook County in the Chicago area.

Last year in Chicago, 97,034 toys were distributed to 78,688 children who might not otherwise have gotten any Christmas gifts. To date, the Toys for Tots program has distributed 709 million toys to 314 million children.

Besides dropping off new, unwrapped toys at several drop-off locations, people who want to support the campaign can also donate online.

The deadline for toy donations cuts off on Dec. 11 for Chicago. Toys for Tots accepts donations at several drop boxes throughout Cook County, to view the full list visit the Toys for Tots website.

In Wilmette, drop-off locations are:

• The Wilmette Police Department - 710 Ridge Rd.
• Wintrust Bank, N.A - 1145 Wilmette Ave.

The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is an IRS-recognized nonprofit public charity created in 1991. The foundation, created in 1991, uses 97 percent of every donation to buy toys for children in need.