Rumson Residents: Take Part in a Town Tradition with DPW'S Annual Toy Drive

Photo: Volunteers donating toys at the Rumson DPW Toy Drive last year.

During the holidays, there are often several food and toy drives, but the Rumson Department of Public Work’s annual toy drive is considered a town holiday tradition.

Rumson residents, it’s time once again to gather and give.

This year, the toy drive will take place on December 12, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and on December 13, from 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The toys are donated to the Family and Children’s Services of Long Branch, and the Salvation Army in Red Bank.

Each year, the Rumson Department of Public Works employees volunteer their time for this important cause. This year will be the 15th year of the holiday tradition, which brings members of the community together with department employees to brighten children in need.

“We normally collect over a thousand toys; last year though we fell below those numbers,” DPW member and drive organizer Larry D’Angelo said.

The drive will take place in the DPW garage in back of Rumson Borough Hall on East River Road. Toys that are donated need to be new and unwrapped.

While the drive organizers “haven’t had the pleasure of distributing the toys to the kids ourselves,” D’Angelo told Patch last year that “when families drop off the toys to us and we explain to the young children what a wonderful thing they are doing to help out children in need, you can see the satisfaction on their faces of the great deed they are doing.”