Thursday, November 29, 2012

5th Annual Toy Drive in the 'Burgh

The North Lansingburgh Neighborhood Watch announced the details of their fifth annual Holiday Toy Drive to benefit the neighborhood children.

For the fifth consecutive year the group is collecting new, unwrapped toys for children up to 12 years of age. The toys will be wrapped and distributed to children through Whitney Young Health Services of Troy and the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls Club.
Each year our ‘little’ toy drive is growing as more and more members of our community wish to help out. There is a definite need for programs such as ours that make the holiday season a special one for the youth of our community.

Over the past five years the group has collected and donated more than $3,700 in toys to about 400 children since its inception. The toy drive will run through December 11, when the group will collect the donated toys during their monthly neighborhood meeting. The December meeting will be a holiday celebration and will be held from 7 to 8:30pm at the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls Club
.
A new feature this year is the addition of toy drop boxes located throughout the area at local businesses. If community members are unable to attend the December neighborhood meeting they are encouraged to drop their donation off at one of the following collection points prior to December 7th:



• Forty-One Sports Bar and Grille, Lansingburgh

• Francesca’s, Troy

• Troy City Hall

• Italian Community Center, Troy

• Eye Health Center, Troy

• O'Brien's Public House, Troy

• Cooley Motors, Rensselaer

• First Niagara Bank, Watervliet


The collected gifts will then be wrapped and distributed to the children and their families by Santa Claus at Whitney Young’s Troy facility the following week during a NLNW sponsored holiday party.

A lot of work and coordination goes into an event like this, we are grateful of the time and resources the community continues to invest. It all pays off when you see the excitement in the kid’s eyes and the smiles on their faces when Santa calls their name.

For more information or if you would like to contribute, you are encouraged to contact me at jgordon003@nycap.rr.com