ROANOKE (WSLS10) - This year, in partnership with two local Marine Corps units in the Star City and Lynchburg, say they are hoping to collect 45,000 toys combined this holiday season for children in southwest Virginia. Marines in Roanoke hope to collect 30,000 Toys for Tots, but have only collected half that amount so far.
Donations from Black Friday have not been calculated, however organizers estimate they gathered over a thousand toys on Black Friday alone. In total, they've filled 12 large boxes with toys solely from the Black Friday toy drive.
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"As far as toys that we need, it's going to be the age ranges from zero to two," said Corporal Ethan Howard, a local marine. "The older kids are usually harder to get and especially teenage girls are kind of a hard on to shop for. So, those ones we're pretty short on usually."
Without the donations these kids wouldn't receive anything this holiday season.
With a deadline of December 23rd, marines are optimistic they can collect the remaining toys needed.