Mansfield Toys for Tots Donation Deadline Approaching

The deadline to donate to the Toys for Tots program is coming up fast. If you are waiting for the last minute, you have until Dec. 12 to drop off your donations, which will be picked up across town on Dec. 13 (for all those extreme last minute donations).

This year the Toys for Tots program, which is run by the United States Marines, will be accepting gifts for U.S. soldiers serving in Afghanistan as well as the traditional toys for children. The different drop off boxes will be next to each other and marked for which goes where.

The Marine Corps. of Swansea will be mailing the gifts straight to Afghanistan so that they arrive in time for the holiday. Items that have been requested for the troops include: Paper, pens and pencils, hand lotion, shaving cream, energy bars, protein bars, toiletries, disposable razors, AA and AAA batteries, trail mix and soap.

Drop off locations include , the , , , , , and the .

Check out the map to the right of this article to see where drop off locations are situated.

Toys for Tots was first created in 1947 when Major Bill Hendricks and a group of Marine Reservists in Los Angeles collected and gave out over 5,000 toys to needy children.

The initial project was so successful that the U.S. Marine Corps. Reserve started a national campaign, and the rest is history, as it is a nationally recognized tradition all over the county.