Hometown Hero: AtlanticCounty Toys for Kids
By Krystle J Bailey
Atlantic County Toys for Kids Program has been providing Christmas toys to the children in our area for over 35 years. Led by Retired Sgt. Greg DePiano along with a team of retired law enforcement including Walter “Wally” Korzeniewski, Al Davenport, and Greg Johnson, the Toys for Kids Program deploys up to 16,000 toys every year to kids in need.
DePiano, who took over the program after retiring early due to a line of duty injury, explains “Every kid should have the opportunity to open a gift on Christmas morning if that’s what their family celebrates. The lasting effects on a child feeling like he or she was not “good enough” for a visit from Santa could last a lifetime. Every kid deserves to know that they are good. That’s why this is so important to me.”
The new, unwrapped toys are collected in various drop boxes throughout Atlantic County leading up to the holiday season. Thousands of toys are donated to the program from various First Responder departments such as the Atlantic City Fire Department that dropped off several hundred toys the day we visited the toy warehouse. Various fundraisers also help raise money for Toys For Kids, which all gets spent on purchasing more toys for more kids every year.
This year, Warden David Kelsey if the Atlantic County Department of Public Safety allowed his civilian and correctional staff to participate in “No Shave November” to raise money for Toys For Kids. Female officers were invited to wear their hair down to participate in the fundraiser. The Department of Public Safety presented Toys For Kids with an $1,800 check, which provided almost 400 toys!
Operation Fill-The Cruiser Holiday Toy Drive and Breakfast with Santa at Golden Corral were two events sponsored by Toys For Kids that added value to the community while also collecting toys this month.
A Beef & Beer Fundraiser at Maynard’s Cafe is taking place December 15th at 7pm. All proceeds will continue to provide toys to kids in the area this Christmas. Visit the Atlantic County Toys for Kids Facebook page for tickets and details.
Generous sponsors also make this program a success every year. The Ventnor Plaza donates the warehouse space including electricity and heat for free so toys can be sorted and then shopped for as schools, churches, and other organizations come in to pick out toys for the children on their lists. Toys are separated by age groups and gender throughout the warehouse, which used to be the old Chinese Restaurant in Ventnor Plaza. Booths are pushed together as makeshift toy bins labeled with signs starting with “Girls/Boys Newborn to 2 years old” all the way up to 10 years old. Each section of the warehouse space is labeled from dolls, to balls, to games and slime. The program is designed for children ages 0-10 however for families with special needs children, there is no age limit.
Other corporate sponsors that make the Toys For Kids Program possible include Walmart, Five Below, Manco & Manco Pizza, Atlantic Medical Imaging, Atlantic City Cruises, Equity Communications (WAYV), and The Gutter Guys.
During the winter months, Toys For Kids partners with a local sports team or school to raise money outside of Walmart. Half of the proceeds go to the organization that is volunteering their time and the other half purchases more Christmas toys for kids.
The generosity doesn’t end after Christmas though. Atlantic County Toys for Kids is a year round program that sponsors various summer events including National Night Out in Northfield, Somers Point, Atlantic City, Pleasantville, Linwood, and Absecon. Toys For Kids provides bouncers, beverages, volunteer time, and more to these events and more throughout the summer. They also work with AC Pal, AC Police Explorers, and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).
Toys For Kids works closely with the local fire departments providing toys and meals to families who have been displaced by fires in our area. Manco & Manco sponsors off shore pizzas while Jersey Shore Pizza donates pizzas in Atlantic City. The Toys For Kids program visits the families wherever they are staying after being displaced, feeds them dinner, and provides books, movies, and toys to make things a little easier for them during tough times.
The Atlantic County Toys for Kids program invites you to get involved. Like them on Facebook, attend upcoming events, or send them a message and find out how you can best get involved. We can all do our part this holiday season and year round to help our community to thrive. Toys, funds, resources, and volunteer hours are always welcome at Toys For Kids.
Krystle J Bailey is a multimedia journalist, freelance writer, and self published author.
