MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Hundreds of children will be able to have presents under the tree thanks to the U.S Marine Corps ‘Toys for Tots Program.”
What started 74 years ago for families who couldn’t afford to put gifts under the tree is now branching out to the Mechanicsburg community.
Groff Tractor & Equipment in Cumberland County collected unwrapped toys and bikes to give children this holiday season.
The event will kick off on Dec. 1 at 11:00 a.m., and employees will be banding together to fill two backhoe trucks with unwrapped toys collected from their six branches.
“We had a group of about 20 of here this morning at 4:00 a.m. loading up and moving the backhoes, loading up the toys, getting the bikes out… everyone gets to be a part, have a hand in it and be a part of the initiative,” said Ellen Savastio-Kremer, Groff F&I Manager.
Groff employees in each branch also participated in a Build-A-Bike Challenge where participants had to see who could build a bike the fastest. The D61 bikes, ranging from tricycles to 24 inches for boys and girls were then delivered in a U-Haul to the different branches.
“We’re a family-run company so we like to do family-oriented things, it just brings us all together to help the community everywhere,” said Jeremy Helm, Groff Regional Service Manager.
Bob Kessler, Toys for Tots Coordinator was also in attendance and thanked Groff for how many toys they were able to collect.
“Partnering with Groff Tractor and other local businesses is a way for us to get toys so we can get them distributed to disadvantaged children so this is a great opportunity for us to get to be able to supply our building with some of the toys we need to get distributed,” said Kessler.
For more information on Toys for Tots, you can visit their website here.
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