By Cameron Rasmusson
Reader Staff
The Christmas season is officially here, and the Sandpoint Lions are ramping up their Toys For Tots drive to ensure that every local child has a merry Christmas.
The Toys For Tots shelves gradually fill up as Christmas approaches.
Photo by Ben Olson.
The local nonprofit is now accepting applications from parents seeking to benefit from the Toys For Tots program, which distributes toys and other Christmas presents to local families that otherwise might struggle with holiday purchases. To apply, visit the Sandpoint Lions headquarters between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The Lions Den is located at 607 South Ella St. next to Lakeview Park by the historic boxcar.
Parents who are approved to participate in this year’s Toys For Tots programs will receive a set number of points for each child in the family. Those points are good for exchange in the vast library of toys, which the Lions largely acquire through donation, housed on the Lions Den shelves.
Toys For Tots is one of the Lions’ signature community services, the other most prominent being the community Fourth of July celebration. The toy drive relies on both toy and monetary donations to function from year to year, with members typically setting a fundraising goal of $50,000. That money contributes to happier holidays for about 1,000 local children each year, plus Christmas dinner boxes for families in need.
“This community is incredible for how much they give to the charities around here: the food bank, Kinderhaven, all the charities,” Lions Club Vice President Judy Dabrowski told the Reader in 2015. “It’s the community giving back to itself. They are taking care of our friends and neighbors. That’s why we’re here. It could be any one of us that needs help, and I would hope that someone else would be there if I need it.”
For parents to be eligible, they must live within Lake Pend Oreille School District. For more information, contact the Sandpoint Lions at 208-263-4118 or [email protected]
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