By Chéye Roberson
Sentinel Correspondent
In just under a day, three foldout tables sitting at the entrance of the Cos Cob Firehouse became piled with toys donated from our community.
Toys for Toys held toy drives at two locations in town on Saturday—at the Cos Cob Firehouse and the Banksville Community House.
The Toys for Tots Foundation, founded in 1947 by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, has long hosted drives and stocked and transported toy donations; but local volunteer organizations play a large part in spreading the word and gathering toys.
“It’s more the volunteers that actually organized this, primarily, and that’s the Cos Cob Fire Dept.,” said Greenwich fire fighter Michael Wilson.
The Greenwich Police Department played a significant role in spreading the word for the toy drive, even to towns outside of Greenwich.
“Someone asked me, because I was a veteran of the Marine Corps, to see if I wanted to help out, and I did,” said Daniel Hendrie, a Greenwich police officer. “We put up posters. Tommy Keegan, who is a retired lieutenant with us, also still works with the Silver Shield—that’s our union. He goes around and he does most of the legwork, pretty much.
“We will put posters all over where we can in town, and I guess surrounding places like Port Chester, Stamford, to get the word out to more people.”
Online promotion was key as well.
“And I think social media has also put it out there,” said Hendrie.
The results were that a few lonely donation tables became quickly crowded with gifts for kids whose parents can’t afford to buy Christmas presents.
“People are usually really good with this,” said Hendrie of people who showed up to donate.
After the drive ended, the gifts were gathered and placed in the back of a seven-ton military vehicle stationed outside the firehouse. The truck traveled to both the Cos Cob and Banksville Community House locations to pick up toys. The truck then goes to Stamford, and finally to Wallingford.
“The seven-ton Marine Corps truck can hold a lot, and that thing is packed full just leaving Greenwich,” said Hendrie. “And they still have to go to Stamford to pick up their toys, too.”
