Toys for Tots hosts annual Hand it to a Hero donation drive Saturday

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Christmas season is now officially here and right now a local non-profit needs your help to make sure every child gets a Christmas toy this year.

Toys for Tots is holding its annual Hand it to a Hero donation drive Saturday.

You can donate a toy by giving it to a local firefighter, armed services member or law enforcement officer.

This year, Toys for Tots is expecting about a 25% increase in demand and are desperately hoping to see an increase in donations to accommodate the need.

According to Janel Doyle, the local coordinator of Toys for Tots, Hand it to a Hero is the biggest donation drive for Toys for Tots Warren County.

“It’s really a lot of fun for a child to hand a toy to a hero. We have a lot of kids there who may want to grow up to be a policeman, or firefighter, or even join the Marine Corps. So a lot of the time the heroes will even open the doors to their vehicles and let the kids get in a sit and do some pictures and it’s just a lot of fun for the community to get out and interact with our heroes on a more Christmassy basis,” said Doyle.

Warren County Sheriff’s Captain Curtis Hargett is excited to be one of the heroes collecting toys.

Hargett said, “2020 has been a tough year for everybody. Everybody has struggled in some way but the children can be, sometimes, the most effected. If we can come out and give back to the kids who may not have as much as others and just, again, have that positive interaction with the community. It’s very exciting, just a good interaction for a very positive cause.”

The event will take place from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday at Walmart on Campbell Lane.