MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — The halls of Pleasant Valley Elementary are decked out for the holidays. Nearly 1,000 students paraded their way through the school with toys in hand.
"it gets you in the Christmas spirit, just to see the willingness to be part of this and give back to others. It really wraps up the school year for us before Christmas break," said Pleasant Valley Elementary Assistant Principal Sarah Adams.
The toys will be donated to Toys for Tots.
John Dickson is the Toys for Tots coordinator in Monroe County and says the organization will provide gifts for 2,000 children this Christmas.
"It's joy," Dickson said. "It gives hope for our future, hope for today, and hope for tomorrow."
"The kids every year shock me with how willing their families are to donate toys," Adams said. "This year, it was almost 600 across the whole district, where almost 300 came just from our Pleasant Valley Elementary students, so elementary collected half of the toys."
Those bags filled with toys were then lined up, ready to get loaded up on the truck. So where do these toys go next?
"They go to Santa's secret warehouse," Dickson said with a smile. "I can't tell you where it is. It's a secret."