SCRANTON, Pa. — If you drive down Lackawanna Avenue in downtown Scranton, you will see a decked-out trolley, United States Marines, the St. Paul's Elementary School basketball team, COLTS employees, and hopefully, lots and lots of toys.
"We're here because some kids don't have presents on Christmas morning, and we would like to give back and try to help kids that don't, give them gifts," said St. Paul's student and basketball player Packy James.
The goal is simple — fill the trolley with boxes of new, unwrapped toys.
This is the 13th year the Marines and the County of Lackawanna Transit System (COLTS) have teamed up for the Toys for Tots campaign.
"An organization like this is not really about us. It's about how we can give back to the community. And Toys for Tots is one of those where we can make children smile during Christmas when they don't have any toys or anything like that," said Sgt. Alexandro Arellano with the U.S. Marine Corps.
"It's really been a tough year for a lot of people. So hopefully, this will brighten up some kids' lives," said Katie McAndrew with COLTS.
It didn't take long for the donations to start before the campaign technically kicked off at 8 a.m. People who heard about it on Newswatch 16 This Morning stopped by before the sun came up to donate money and toys.
"It is very heartwarming to watch, to see people come, and you know that a lot of people are struggling, and they still show up and give," McAndrew said.
Businesses throughout Lackawanna County have been collecting gifts in donation boxes for the past few weeks. Tuesday was the final day of the campaign.
This year, the volunteers are specifically looking for gifts for children ages 9 to 13.
"Mostly because we have received a lot of toys already for the younger kids. So we just want to make sure all of our children are well-served," said COLTS Executive Director Tim McGrath.
You can stop by the Lackawanna Transit Center Tuesday until 6 p.m.
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