Holiday spirit, delivered: Volunteers sort thousands of toys for T&G Santa Fund
WORCESTER – Trucks carrying thousands of toys pulled up outside 18 Chestnut St. Monday morning, Dec. 8, while volunteers took trips back and forth in the cold to unload them all.
"I need to take off a layer every time," Teresa Lefsyk, a volunteer from Imperial Distributors Inc., said as she brought boxes from outside and into a room to be sorted.
Lefsyk was among a group of four volunteers with Imperial Distributors who came to help sort toys purchased by the T&G Santa Fund.
Partnering with United Way of Central Massachusetts, the Telegram & Gazette has been raising money for 87 years to buy books and toys for children in need during the Christmas season.
"We work with organizations all the way down to Southbridge and all the way up to Winchendon," United Way Director of Community Engagement Idaliana Medina said.
Medina said they put a call out in early October and nonprofit organizations let the United Way know how many toys they needed for each age group. Medina then placed an order with the New England Toy Co.
Medina said she ordered roughly 9,700 toys this year for 20 different organizations. Of those toys, 3,500 were distributed during the Dec. 8 event.
Nicole Lonardo was among a group of five volunteers from Berkshire Bank helping to sort toys.
"Every year I've come it's been a little different," Lonardo said. "I think it's really great to see the impact and all the organizations that benefit from it."
As toys were taken off the truck, volunteers sorted them by gender and age group, before organizing items again by organization.
Echo Lahey, director of special projects at the United Way, looked on while volunteers unboxed art kits, board games and basketballs and said, "See, this is my favorite part.
"I love to see what the toys kids get each year are," Lahey said. "It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun."
State Sen. Robyn Kennedy and United Way CEO Tim Garvin, along with T&G employees, were among those hauling heavy boxes.
"A couple of months ago during the government shutdown, we raised $1.4 million when that happened," Garvin joked after volunteers finished unloading boxes. "And the reason I bring that up now is because I think that was easier than this."
Organizations that the United Way sorted toys for will pick them up to distribute to children in need.
Michael McDermott, executive editor of the T&G, noted that the Santa Fund is raising money now to buy toys for next holiday season. The fund has raised about $35,000 so far.
"We're very thankful to our readers for supporting the Santa Fund," McDermott said. "In order for the fund to continue its mission of bringing holiday joy to children in need, and not turning anyone away, we need their continued generosity more than ever."
By: Afton Pratt, Worcester Telegram & Gazette