Agencies plan for parents in need to play Santa, too

Families must sign up for Toy Shop by Friday

Santa Claus won’t be in town for another 17 days, but his helpers spent much of Tuesday sorting toys at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds.

“We’ll be setting up all of this week,” said Diane Zinn, a longtime member of the Salvation Army women’s auxiliary and one of the organizers of this year’s holiday gift distribution for families in need.

Alberta Snow volunteers her time at the Salvation Army Toy Shop, filling a cardboard box with large stuffed animals. The Toy Shop will give away the toys to families signed up through the Salvation Army.

Better known as Toy Shop, the sharing begins next week from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

To participate in Toy Shop, parents have until Friday to sign up at the Salvation Army, 946 N.H., where they’ll be assigned a time and day to pick out toys for their children.

Families also can be adopted through the Holiday Bureau, which requires filling out a form at either the Salvation Army or Ballard Community Center, 708 Elm St.; Penn House, 1035 Pa.; Pelathe Community Resource Center, 1423 Haskell Ave.; or Douglas County Senior Services, 745 Vt.

Families may participate in either Holiday Bureau or Toy Shop, but not both.

Most of the toys have been rounded up by Douglas County Toys for Tots.

“It’s been going well,” said Mary Jones, a Lawrence real estate agent who’s coordinating this year’s Toys for Tots campaign. “The money has been slow in coming in, but we’ve been getting some really nice toys in the collection boxes around town.”

In Douglas County last year, 825 children received toys through Toys for Tots.

Alberta Snow volunteers her time at the Salvation Army Toy Shop, delivering large dolls and stuffed animals to boxes and tables at the shop at Building 21 at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds, 2110 Harper St. The Toy Shop will give away the toys to families signed up through the Salvation Army starting Monday.

“As far as we know, we didn’t miss anybody,” Jones said. “We don’t want any child to go without toys at Christmastime.”

Money collected by Toys for Tots is used to buy gifts for teenagers, Jones said. “We go up to age 17, but most of what we get in the drop boxes is for children,” she said. “So what we don’t get, we try to buy.”

Toys for Tots will be host to the “Drive for 500” toy-collection event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Dole Institute of Politics on Kansas University’s west campus.

The event will include a silent auction for a pair of KU-Missouri men’s basketball tickets.

Donations are needed for the Community Holiday Dinner, where 850 people in need are expected to be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 25 in the First United Methodist Church basement, 946 Vt. Donors are asked to call Kent Ely, an event coordinator, at 760-2943, or bring food to the church.

Also, Bello Salon & Spa will match contributions of toys left at the shop, 15th Street and Kasold Drive.

Not all the toys collected through Toys for Tots will be distributed next week. “We always hold a few things back for those last-minute, emergency situations that always seem to come up,” Jones said. “We don’t want anybody falling through the cracks.”