Surrounded by boxes that would usually be full of toys, volunteer Kamela Ryan packs up a bear at the Toy for Tots warehouse in Tampa. This year's postal drive in Hillsborough and Pinellas collected 14,000 toys, down from 55,000 last year.
On the other hand, they had tens of millions to sponsor Lance Armstrong and NASCAR.
SantaBomba will provide.
So, once again, it’s the gubmit that supposed to give a freebie, eh?
With all due respect to a great charity, try looking into what other folks are doing to get toys for tots. They’re NOT using the gubmit (which is doomed anyway) and are doing fine.
Don’t rely on uncle - he’s dying and will be resuscitated in a better form after CW-II.
From the bottom of my heart, I hope that every child is happy on Christmas morning.
However, I cannot understand why ANY child would NOT receive at least a modest gift from parents or guardians.
A goodly portion of our incomes are being confiscated by the US, state, and local tax collectors, of which the major portion goes to fund direct payments to people who are poor, unemployed, disabled, or elderly. My town is awash with charities also collecting to give food and clothing to those same people. Our school systems are providing meals and snacks 3 to 5 times a day to most, if not all, of these same groups. PEOPLE, WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING?
I was surprised when I went to the P.O. to mail Christmas gifts to an APO. I had my customs forms all filled out but was told the PO no longer accepted those and the clerk typed and printed out the same information and a cost to me of $1.49. I asked how long that had been enforced and was told a little over 2 months. But I mail a small package to my grand-daughter every month and have not met with this situation prior to this.
I don’t mind tho. Making out the forms (you can only list 4 items per form and have to use multiple forms, each with several carbons for additional items)Is a hassle and I am somewhat visually impaired.
I wonder if in addition to ceasing free delivery for the Toys for Tots program, if they will also suspend the Golden Harvest collection whereby they leave a notice about the collection and you leave a sack of groceries for them to pick up.
Last year our group gave 180 toys and over $700.00 cash.
A most worthy cause.
Maybe the people who normally give have finally figured out that the parents of these children are often better off than the people giving the gifts and can buy their own children's Christmas gifts out of those big government checks from uncle Obama.
There are always kids who fall through the cracks and get missed by the large charities. And it’s not a kid’s fauilt if the parents are crackheads or alcoholics.
I’m never too comfortable telling this story for fear of people thinking I’m boasting. Believe me, that is not the case. Every year my wife and I buy some toys and a few days before Christmas we get in the car and let God decide where to take them. It works everytime. Here’s one example. Two years ago were drove past a country church. I went in and asked the preacher if he knew of anyone who needed some toys. He explained that a member of his church had just lost his job and had moved back to the area. The man had just called the preacher asking him if he knew where he could pick up a few toys for his 9 year old daughter. Believe me, she had a wonderful Christmas!
And I won’t even go into what we call “The Crockett, Texas Miracle”. Let’s just say we’re sure we went where God wanted us to go.
I started doing this because I grew up hating Christmas because my childhood Christmases were not merry. Seldom was there anything under the tree. If we had a tree. I figured if I could stop one little boy from hating Christmas, it would be worth it. Well, I don’t know about the little boys who got our toys over the past 16 years, but this “little boy” sure doesn’t hate Christmas anymore.
The other day, I was in a store where they had a Toys for Tots collection box. About all I could find in their toy department was imported junk from China and other countries. - Most of that stuff won’t last until the water gets hot; and it’s depressing to me to spend my money on it. - I gotta find a better way. :o(
Lets first define “tots” shall we. As previously stated what these children need more then some free hand out is a complete set of parents. TFT is nothing more then another give away program for the parasites of society. Hunger and want are great motivators.
I do find it ironic that in the movie Miracle On 34th Street, it's the USPS that comes to the defense of Santa Clause. Nowadays, not so much.
-PJ