LIMA, OH (WLIO) - It has been putting smiles on children's faces for three-quarters of a century and they do it with the help of the community.
For years, the Lima Noon Optimist Club has worked with the Lima Salvation Army and the United States Marine Corps Reserve to provide gifts for children in Lima and Allen County on Christmas Day. Today was the kick-off for the 75th year of the national Toys for Tots program. Locally more than 750 families received Christmas assistance through the Salvation Army last year, with 1,500 children getting something under the tree Christmas morning thanks to the Toys for Tots program.
"Toys for Tots is its own entity. It's governed by the Marine Corp. Reserve. But it is its own 501(c)(3), so a lot of what that they do for this community is they handle all the corporate things that need to be done. So 96% of the dollar that is given to Toys for Tots is spent directly to children and that's really a high mark and actually here in Lima it's higher than that,"Â explained Paul Downing, coordinator of Toys for Tots.
You can join Hometown Stations on Saturday, December 3rd for our annual "Truckload of Toys" to benefit "Toys for Tots" in Lima - Allen County. We will be at Walmart on Allentown Road from noon to 2 p.m. collecting toys for local children and hope to see you there.
