Toys For Tots Holiday Drive Almost Over: Where To Donate In Summit

SUMMIT, NJ — Friday is the last day to donate a new, unwrapped gift for a local child this holiday season, at Toys for Tots drop-off locations around Summit.

Hosted locally by the Summit Policemen’s Benevolent Association #55 (PBA) and Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association #54 (FMBA), the United States Marine Corps toy drive began on Nov. 13 and continues through Friday, Dec. 15.

The local Toys for Tots connects with non-profits to distribute toys, and the drive for families in Sussex, Essex, Morris, Bergen, Hudson, Passaic and Warren counties will end on Dec. 16.

Last year in North Jersey, 230,609 toys were distributed to 187,500 children who might not otherwise have gotten any Christmas gifts.

Nationally, about 625 million toys were handed out to 291 million kids last year.

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

To participate, residents can bring new and unwrapped toys to the donation boxes at the following Summit locations during normal business hours. They will be distributed to nearby families in need, ensuring that kids from less fortunate families will also have a happy holiday.

• Summit Police Headquarters at City Hall (512 Springfield Avenue)
• Summit Fire Department (396 Broad Street)
• Summit Community Center (100 Morris Avenue)
• Summit High School (125 Kent Place Boulevard)
• Cannon Hill Capital Partners (25 Deforest Avenue)
• Douglas Infiniti (430 Morris Avenue)
• Douglas Volkswagen (491 Morris Avenue)
• The Little Gym (545 Morris Avenue)
• Serra Doce (21 Union Place)
• Village Trattoria (103 Summit Avenue)

The PBA and FMBA will drop off donated toys to the Marine Corps Reserve once the collection wraps up. The toys collected through this program are distributed to children throughout Union County and the surrounding area.

Toys for North Jersey kids can also be dropped off in the Toys for Tots collection tents in front of the visitor center's parking lot aboard Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County by Dec. 16; click here for details.

The deadline for families and non-profits to submit toy requests has passed. Anyone with questions may email dover.nj@toysfortots.org or call 973-724-7137.

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.