Kat Whitish is the new coordinator for Toys for Tots this year. Mary Lou retired last year after several years as the coordinator. “I’ve helped her for the last few years,” explained Kat. “But this is my first year as the coordinator.”
76 years ago Toys for Tots was formed. “There was a gal that was in her town who had some kids that needed toys,” explained Kat. “She went home to her husband who was in the Marines. They had just done it personally, with the two of them that year. Her husband’s best friend just so happened to be Disney. Then he met with Walt Disney who was the one that actually named it and made the train Logo.”
Prior to 1979, Marine reservists and volunteers would gather used toys and refurbish them. However, in 1980, the program began accepting only new toys due to reservists’ inability to allocate drill hours for the task, legal concerns to avoid giving recalled items, and the mixed message of hope conveyed by giving hand-me-downs. In 1995, the Secretary of Defense approved Toys for Tots as an official mission of the Marine Corps Reserve. The program gained further support in 2009 when First Lady Michelle Obama placed the first collection box at the White House. As of 2016, the Toys for Tots Program and Foundation have collected and distributed over 512 million toys.
Backyard Productions will be holding Rage for Santa, an event at The Do Bar, on December 9th to raise funds for Toys for Tots. Donation boxes will be set up at several locations around town.
At this time, the biggest request is for donations for kids 10 years and older, however as always, anything is greatly appreciated. For more information, please contact Kat Whitish at (406) 781-4527.
Author: Karen Anderson
Karen is the Editor-in-Chief overseeing all news operations at Foxys Publishing Co. She also loves photography and spending time with her dogs.
