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Q: What
happens with left over toys
after distribution day?
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A: The Toys
For Tots program provides
one toy for each eligible
child in a family. We plan
our collection and
purchasing efforts to make
sure that we have enough
toys for every eligible
child registered by a parent
in every community that we
support. Because of this, we
frequently have extra toys
left after all of the
community distributions have
been completed. Leftover
toys are donated to other
local holiday charities so
that they too can help
brighten up a child’s
holiday.
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Q: My
company is going to have a
Toys For Tots collection
drive or event. What support
is available for us?
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A: The
Bakersfield Marines thank
you for your help! We can…
- provide collection boxes
if necessary
-- provide Toys For Tots
posters for your collection
boxes and for elsewhere in
your facility
-- (other materials?)
-- pick up and transport
toys to storage if necessary
(please understand that
manpower and vehicles
available are very limited,
especially this year in the
wake of Operation Iraqi
Freedom)
-- have Marines in uniform
present at events
-- list your company or
event on our web site
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Q: How can
my business get involved
with Toys For Tots?
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A: -
provide volunteer assistance
at distribution event
- hold a toy collection
drive at your business
- make a monetary donation
to Toys For Tots
- donate supplies listed
above needed for the program
- organize a Toys For Tots
promotional event in
coordination with us
- refer us to other
companies
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Q: How can
I become a volunteer?
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A: Toys For
Tots couldn’t be done
without volunteers! Please
contact your nearest
Community Coordinator or the
Bakersfield Marines
Coordinator if you are
interested in volunteering.
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Q: Is my
donation tax-deductible?
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A: A donor
does not need a special
letter for tax purposes
unless he/she makes a
donation of money, toys, or
services valued at $250.00
or more. For donations less
than $250.00 a canceled
check or store/business
receipt is acceptable for
IRS purposes. For donations
of $250.00 or more that are
sent to the Foundation and
the Foundation is provided
the name and address of the
donor, the foundation will
automatically forward a
letter of receipt for the
tax records of the donor.
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Q: Where
can I send a financial
donation?
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A:
Donations can be mailed to
the Marine Corps Reserve
Center – Toys For Tots
Coordinator at 4201 Chester
Avenue, Bakersfield, CA
93301. Please make checks
payable to Toys For Tots.
All donations made through
the Bakersfield Reserve
Center will be sent to the
Toys For Tots Foundation in
Quantico, Virginia for
accounting purposes, and
will be deposited to our
account for use right here
in Kern County, California.
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Q: Can I
donate anything else besides
toys?
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A: Yes!
Each coordinator hosting a
distribution day, including
the Bakersfield Marines,
needs wrapping paper, tape,
and barrels or boxes to make
and decorate collection
boxes. We also need trash
bags, and food and beverages
for volunteers on
distribution day. Having
these things donated to us
means we don’t have to buy
them out of our operating
fund, which leaves more
money to buy toys for
children!
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Q: Are
particular types of toys
more in need than others?
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A: The age
groups that are in need of
donations are the children
from ages 0 – 4 and ages
9-10.
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Q: What
kind of toys are not
allowed?
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A: Toys
with a military theme. Toys
related to weapons/law
enforcement type toys. Toys
with candy. No stationary
(i.e. pens, paint, school
products, etc.). No
chemicals (i.e. experimental
labs, acid, crystal
projects, etc.). These toys
are not allowed by the Toys
For Tots program. Toys
fitting this description
that are donated to the
program will not be
distributed to children by
Toys For Tots or the Marine
Corps Reserve. Instead,
these toys will be donated
to another charity
organization, along with any
toys that are left over
after each distribution
event in Kern County has
been completed. If at all
possible, not too many
stuffed animals. Stuffed
animals are nice but
children prefer toys rather
than stuffed animals.
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Q: What
kind of toys can I donate?
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A: New,
unwrapped toys preferably
around the $10 or above
range. Marines do not have
time to refurbish used toys;
and it is legally not
feasible to distribute
dangerous or dirty toys that
could cause injury or
illness to a child.
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Q: What
ages of children are
eligible to receive toys?
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A: National
rules and guidelines permit
distribution of toys to
children from 0 up to 13
years of age. However,
Marine Corps Reserve units
are authorized to place
further limitations on this
depending on conditions in
their areas. In Kern County,
the decision has been made
to distribute toys to
children up to 10 years of
age only.
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Q: What are
the criteria to qualify to
receive toys from this
program?
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A: Local
social service agencies and
other legitimate
organizations are used to
identify needy children and
help coordinator’s
distribute toys in the local
community. This reduces the
possibility of one family
receiving multiple gifts.
For the benefit of the Toys
for Tots program, Marines,
to the extent feasible,
distribute some toys
directly to needy children
(e.g., hospitals,
orphanages, special
children’s events, etc.).
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Q: How do I
apply to receive toys?
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A: The Toys
For Tots program and the
Marine Corps Reserve are not
allowed to determine whether
a family is eligible for
assistance or not.
Third-party Certifying
Agencies have applications
on file and will determine
your eligibility. Certifying
Agencies include the
Department of Human
Services, the Kern County
Health Department, HELPLINE
(United Way of Kern Country,
formerly KCEOC), and the
Kern County School District.
Communities outside
Bakersfield may have other
social services agencies
performing this service,
too, if an arrangement has
been made with the Toys For
Tots Community Coordinator
there.
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Q: How can
a new community start a
program in Kern County?
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A: A
volunteer must be willing to
serve as the Community
Coordinator for that
community to stand the
program up in coordination
with the Bakersfield
Marines. The volunteer
Coordinator should contact
the Toys For Tots
Coordinator at the Marine
Corps Reserve Center in
Bakersfield at (661)
325-2797 to discuss getting
the program on its feet
there, preferably several
months prior to the holiday
season. Some considerations
to keep in mind are:
- The community must plan
its own toy collection
events and distribution day.
- The community must find a
location to store collected
toys so that they can be
locked up.
- The community must have
service organizations that
can serve as Certifying
Organizations to screen and
approve potential
recipients.
Advice and assistance will
be available from the
Bakersfield Marines Toys For
Tots Coordinator.
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Q: What
communities have Toys For
Tots programs in Kern
County?
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A:
Bakersfield’s collection and
distribution program is run
from the Marine Corps
Reserve Center on Chester
Avenue. In addition, Delano,
Frazier Park, Lamont,
Shafter, Wasco, and the Kern
River Valley communities
each hold their own
distribution programs by
working through the
Bakersfield Marine Corps
Reserve Center. Residents in
communities without a
distribution program may
apply to receive toys in the
closest community with a
distribution program.
Kern County communities east
of Tehachapi are handled by
the Marine Corps Reserve
unit located at Edwards Air
Force Base. They can be
reached at
(661)275-3400/3401/3424.
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Q: How long
does this generally go on?
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A: The Toys
for Tots season in Kern
County officially begins
each year with the
Volkslauf Mud Run in
early to mid-October. The
Volkslauf is a 10k obstacle
mud run held each year by
the Golden Empire Chapter of
the Marine Corps League with
the assistance of the
Bakersfield Marine Corps
Reserves. This fundraiser,
which began in 1997, has
consistently raised
approximately $10,000 for
the Toys for Tots program
right here in Kern County,
California. Collection and
distribution efforts go on
through Christmas.
Activities at the Toys for
Tots Foundation in Quantico
occur throughout the entire
year.
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Q: How does
Kern County’s program work?
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A: Our Toys
for Tots Campaign currently
covers 7 distribution sites,
serving 11 cities and
communities, located within
a 5,000 sq. mile radius of
Bakersfield, CA. This area
consists of agricultural and
petroleum producing
industries, with terrain
consisting of flats, valleys
and mountains. Each
distribution site has its
own coordinator and its own
group of volunteers. The
coordinator for Bakersfield
is the main coordinator. A
number of toys were provided
as contributions from the
local community and local
businesses. Additionally,
toys were collected at drop
off points located at the
following locations: Marine
Corps Reserve Training
Center, various collection
barrels, and promotional
events. Once all
applications are turned in
and tallied, the count is
compared with the toy count.
If more toys are to be
purchased, the coordinators
conduct a shopping spree at
a local toy distributor.
Then each community has its
own distribution day to pass
toys out.
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Q: How does
the Toys for Tots program
work?
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A: There
are two aspects associated
with the program nationally:
(1) Those activities
undertaken by Marines, often
with the support of the
local community;
(2) Those activities of the
Toys for Tots Foundation in
Quantico, Virginia, which
support the Marine Corps
program.
Marines: Marines, often with
the support of their local
community partners, stage
toy collection barrels at
various locations (for
example, at a participating
business location). New,
unwrapped, donated toys are
placed in these barrels. The
barrels are collected
periodically and transported
to a central holding
location, where the toys are
examined and sorted by
gender and age group. These
toys are then provided to
appropriate agencies (such
as local churches, etc.),
who identify and distribute
these toys to those children
in need.
If unsolicited funds are
received by the Marine Corps
Reserve unit, these funds
are forwarded to the Toys
for Tots Foundation in
Quantico, Virginia for
accounting purposes. The
Foundation, in turn, returns
100% of these funds to the
respective donating
community, in the form of
toys purchased at the
national or local level.
Foundation: The focus of the
Toys for Tots Foundation in
Quantico is predominantly at
the national level. Toys
donated in large quantity
and funds received by the
Foundation, from an
individual or corporate
sponsor, are used to
supplement the effort of the
local community programs.
For example, if the
Foundation received a
donation of 50,000 toys, the
Foundation would then route
those toys to the
communities most in need.
These needs are determined
by detailed coordination
with the local Marine Corps
Reserve sponsors in those
communities. In the case of
donated funds, the
foundation expends 97% of
these funds on the purchase
of toys.
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Q: What is
the program’s goal?
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A: We
Marines are inherently
tenacious and optimistic,
striving continuously to
surpass the most formidable
challenge. While it may seem
overly ambitious, our
ultimate goal would be to
bring a ray of holiday joy
to the heart of each of the
estimated 14 million
children in need. Having
said that, our aspiration is
to reach out and touch as
many of these beautiful
little children as we can,
and hopefully more children
than in the year prior.
Marines will always give it
their best effort each and
every year.
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Q: Why is
this program necessary?
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A: America
has 14 million economically
disadvantaged children.
There has never been a
greater need, and the Marine
Corps is committed to doing
its part in helping these
children.
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Q: How did
this program start?
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A: A Marine
Corps reservist, Major Bill
Hendricks, started Toys for
Tots back in 1947. His wife
Diane had crocheted a doll
to give to an organization
that donated toys to
disadvantaged children
during Christmas. However,
there was not an
organization in Los Angeles
that distributed toys to
disadvantaged children.
Major Hendricks decided to
gather all the Marines he
could to help him collect
and distribute toys to
disadvantaged children. Toys
for Tots was officially
established a year later.
That first year in Los
Angeles, the Marines
collected seven thousand
toys. Since then, we have
collected and distributed
more than 12.9 million toys
to 5.7 million needy
children..
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