WACO, TX — Shepherd’s Heart Food Pantry will be collecting toys for the Toys from the Heart Toy Drive starting Tuesday and lasting through Friday at 16 different locations in Waco.
“61% of the people coming to our pantry are either new or just started coming this year. The need is great. There are a lot of people unemployed, and they are looking for help,” said Shepherd's Heart Executive Director, Robert Gager.
For the last 10 years, the Toys from the Heart Toy Drive has helped give 500 to 600 children every year a chance to have toys under the tree. But after a hard year, no one knows what to expect this Christmas.
“This year we don’t know what’s going to happen, because they had to shut down the facilities or reduce the occupancy. We see that in a lot of different places. All I know is that we are going to have a lot of kids that aren't going to have Christmas if we don’t provide the toys for them,” said Gager.
“We know this year has been really really hard for so many families and so many kids, and Christmas is a special time, and this is something we can do to make that Christmas better,” said Baylor Club General Manager, Mike Mosel.
The Baylor Club has been participating in the toy drive for the last three years and has quickly become one of the largest donation spots in town.
“It’s just overwhelming when you see hundreds of brand new toys, and they are counting up the checks and the cash donations and it's thousands of dollars and you know that’s going to make an impact here in Waco,” said Mosel.
If you would like to donate, click here to find the nearest drop off location.
If you would like to participate in the drive, you must call (254)213- 7833 and pre-register your child beforehand so Santa can know exactly what gifts to pack in his sleigh before Christmas.
The toys will be picked up on Friday at all the drop off locations except for the Baylor Club location. The Baylor Club will be extending their drive until Sunday when they will be having a toy drop-off drive through from 10 a.m. to 2 pm in the McLane Stadium parking lot.
25 News is a proud sponsor of the Toys from the Heart Toy Drive.
