The annual Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots campaign kicked off last week at Mission BBQ, 11000 Roosevelt Blvd.
The event featured appearances by the Philadelphia police and fire departments, the Marine Corps League Detachment, City Councilmen Mike Driscoll and David Oh, state Rep. Ed Neilson, state Sen. Jimmy Dillon, Mayfair Business Improvement District executive director Donny Smith and congressional candidate Aaron Bashir.
Police officer Nate Fulton sang the Star-Spangled Banner.
Anne Marie Muldoon, owner of Avenue Chiropractic, 6233 Frankford Ave., is the local coordinator for Toys for Tots, which accepts new and unwrapped toys at places such as police districts, fire stations and businesses. Toys will be accepted until Dec. 16.
Muldoon has been active with the charity since 2010.
“Every child deserves a Christmas,” she said.
In 2021, Philadelphians donated more than 114,000 toys that went to some 50,000 kids, the local campaign’s “greatest year ever,” according to Muldoon.
Muldoon thanked former Councilman Bobby Henon for securing last year’s warehouse in Bridesburg, recognized Jen Cassidy for managing the site and said the toys could not be delivered without the help of volunteers such as Patty-Pat Kozlowski and Mark LaVelle. She thanked Mission BBQ community ambassador Shannon Sperduto for hosting the annual kickoff.
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Abraham Escobar is overseeing the Philadelphia effort. He thanked his predecessor, Staff Sgt. Matthew Everett, for last year’s successful campaign.
“I’m going to have to one-up you this year,” he told Everett.
Driscoll said Philadelphia has the highest poverty rate among big cities, adding that many residents are a paycheck or two away from missing a mortgage payment or Christmas. He said the 50,000 figure is impressive for toys collected in 2021, and the number 1 is also important, as in, he hopes not one Philadelphia kid goes without a gift this holiday season.
“We have to make sure nobody misses Christmas,” he said.
For more information, go to www.toysfortots.org. ••
