"What it's all about today is inviting the public to come right into this lobby, fill this box up so that we can make sure that no child is without a gift on Christmas morning," Durham Rotary member Cecily Kalkhof said.
Since 1947, hundreds of millions of toys have been distributed.
This year, the need is even greater, according to Major David Liu and Gunnery Sgt. Amme, who said there are 80 to 90,000 requests from families in the Triangle for toys this Christmas. The number is nearly a quarter jump from last year.
"We've seen the requests and the need for toys just increase over the years," Major David Liu said.
Making a beautiful display in the ABC11 lobby with help from the Rotary Clubs of the Triangle Area, dozens of unwrapped toys are helping make spirits bright.
Sylvia Hewitt stopped by on Tuesday with her donation.
"Our granddaughter is big into the Play-Doh and asked Santa for a Play-Doh machine," Hewitt said. "We know how excited she is. We're looking forward to Santa bringing that to her, and we thought other kids would love that, too."
For nearly 80 years, the Walt Disney Company has supported the Toys for Tots program to create moments of happiness and holiday joy for children who need it most.
Disney announced that they are adding to the magic and donating 5,000 toys to help brighten the holidays this year.
Here's how you can help the kids in our community
Click here to donate to Toys for Tots
- Give Online: Click here to donate towards the purchase of a toy
A special thanks to all the local Rotary Clubs that have partnered with us to help brighten the holidays for kids and their families.
As champions of 'Service above Self,' Rotary Clubs already do so much to uplift our community-especially the veteran community, which is closely tied to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.