Odenton Church Rallies Hundreds to Distribute Toys

A heavy rain did nothing to dampen the Christmas spirit in Odenton on Sunday morning, as hundreds of volunteers came out to distribute toys to needy families. 

The i5 Church in Odenton held its annual "I Am Christmas" in, partnering with Toys 4 Tots in delivering toys to more than 4,000 children in Anne Arundel County. 

Nearly 700 volunteers wore ponchos and sported umbrellas as they loaded toys directly into the trunks of cars lined up in front of the church. 

"We basically say here that Christmas is not just one day, but the spirit of Christmas is every single day," i5 Pastor Jimmy Rollins said. "We believe every single person is inherently kind on the inside and we wanted to rally people together and go out and give gifts to kids who wouldn't get them, ordinarily."

U.S. Marine Capt. Peter Smith, who is spearheading the Toys 4 Tots operation in Anne Arundel County, said the event at i5 is the largest of its kinds in the area. 

"This is the mountaintop," he said. 

Smith said most of the toys will be distributed in the area of north County, but that families came from all over the county to receive toys.