Donations needed by Toys for Tots, others to help Augusta children in need

Alexandra Koch, Augusta Chronicle
·2 min read
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FILE - Toys sit in boxes at the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots warehouse in Augusta. The organization and Miracle Making Ministries are collecting donations now.
FILE - Toys sit in boxes at the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots warehouse in Augusta. The organization and Miracle Making Ministries are collecting donations now.

Local organizations are working to gather gifts for people in need ahead of the holidays.

The U.S. Marines Toys for Tots Foundation and Miracle Making Ministries are both saddling up to provide thousands of local children, adults and seniors with presents on Christmas morning.

Miracle Making Ministries has been collecting gifts for impoverished children, adults and seniors in the Augusta area for the last 32 years.

"We started doing several hundred people a year. And then, as time went on, more and more churches and faith-based organizations cropped up and began to do some of that. We began to do our programs at target groups," said Robert L. Williams, president and CEO of Miracle Making Ministries. "One year we did foster kids. One year we did kids who are being taken care of by grandparents. One year we adopted special needs kids from schools and daycares."

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Williams said this year the organization has adopted mentally challenged children, children in the juvenile justice system and seniors in need.

"We've tried to focus on some groups that would not necessarily get help during the Christmas season," he said.

While applications are still open, Williams predicts the organization will provide gifts for about 350 locals.

"There are people that are genuinely in need. They've been ... struggling all year," he said. "The whole idea behind Christmas is giving. It's about love. It's about doing something for somebody without expecting to receive anything. They're financially, relationally, mentally, emotionally stressed and they have issues beyond paying the bills and buying gifts for Christmas."

Donations can be dropped off at boxes placed at the ministry's administrative office or primary care clinic.

The Marines Toys for Tots Foundation also distributed more than 50,000 toys in Augusta last year, supporting over 20,000 children. However, Toys for Tots coordinator, Anne Woods, said so far this year only 150 toys have been collected.

"We just started up [collecting toys] in October," Woods said. "We have 350 boxes out in the community that will be collecting toys."

Toys for Tots is specifically requesting donations of toys for children ages 6 and older and the drop off deadline is Dec. 17.

Toys for Tots drop-off locations

  • Peach State FCU: 4339 Washington Road, Augusta

  • WA Bragg & Co a PDI Company: 420 Columbia Industrial Blvd, Evans

  • Peach State FCU: 864 Broad Street, Augusta

  • Ubora Coffee: 1128 Jones St, Augusta

  • Biomat USA: 2704 Peach Orchard Rd., Augusta

  • Maxwell Library: 1927 Lumpkin Road, Augusta

  • WA Bragg & Co a PDI Company: 2513 Mike Padgett Highway, Augusta

  • Fairfield Inn: 3023 1/2 Washington Rd., Augusta

  • Doubletree by Hilton Augusta: 2651 Perimeter Parkway, Augusta

  • Ollies Bargain Outlet Store: 3424 Wrightsboro Rd., Augusta

  • Stars and Strikes Family Entertainment Center - Augusta: 3238 Wrightsboro Road, Augusta

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Toys for Tots, other organizations gather toys ahead of Christmas