HONESDALE, Pa. — It's become a holiday tradition at Wayne County Ford in Honesdale to fill trucks in their showroom with toys.
"It's amazing because you know that each one getting dropped off is a smile on some kid's face," said sales manager Roger Kowalski.
It's part of the Zipper Junction Project's annual toy drive. The nonprofit anticipates serving more than 600 kids this year across Pike and Wayne Counties.
"There is a need here, and we are very proud to say we collect in Wayne and Pike Counties, and we give it to kids who live in Wayne and Pike Counties. It doesn't go outside of this area, so whatever the community gives us, that's what the kids get," said Jim Zumpone, founder of the Zipper Junction Project.
The toy collection kicked off this week.
But with recent price hikes, organizers say they have already noticed a dip in donations.
"We've seen the monetary side of this much lower. Literally half of what businesses were giving or individuals, it's literally half," said Zumpone.
The monetary donations are used to fill the gaps for age groups that are often overlooked, like gifts for teenagers.
Wayne County Ford is just one of many drop-off locations across the area.
"We're going to probably squeeze five or six trucks in the showroom, and then what we do is fill up as many as possible. In past years, we were doing six-plus trucks," said Kowalski.
Donations will be collected through December 5. For details, click here
Check out WNEP's YouTube channel.