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Salvation Army Christmas Toy Distribution helped 800 Reno County families this year
The Hutchinson News - 12/22/2021
Dec. 22—Heaps of toys stuffed in colorful plastic bags filled chairs in Hutchinson Salvation Army's chapel, alongside bicycles, a telescope and other considerable gifts provided by donations from the Reno County community.
Outside, cars lined the parking lot, waiting their turn to receive the pre-packaged toys and holiday food for their families. Salvation Army volunteers lugged the toys and food to vehicles to load.
The agency received more than 1,500 toys this year, which arrived through toy drives from four different schools, the Reno County Toy Run, a dozen Reno County small businesses and local community members who partnered with the Salvation Army to fill the necessary quota.
The local Walmart also provided a space for the annual Salvation Army Angel Tree, where shoppers had an opportunity to find and fill a request from a family in need, with either toys, food or household items.
Salvation Army Captain DJ James said one of the requests on the Angel Tree in Walmart included two twin-sized mattresses. An unknown donor filled the request and provided a frame for both beds as well.
The Salvation Army helped 800 families this holiday season with either food, toys or both, providing the opportunity for families to enjoy the holidays.
On Monday, half of the families visited the Salvation Army to receive an entire Christmas dinner, including corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, a whole chicken, eggs, milk, butter and brownies; Kroger Fuel donated a blanket for each family signed up this year.
On Tuesday, the other half of the families visited to receive a Christmas dinner and toys for their children, and on Wednesday, the Salvation Army finished handing out the rest of the toys.
One parent who signed up for this year's distribution, Rebecca Mitchell, utilized the Salvation Army's service to ensure a gift for her child.
"I wouldn't be able to provide a gift for my kid otherwise," Mitchell said.
James said each child received two substantial toys, a stuffed animal and smaller toys to fill stockings. This year, the Hutchinson Salvation Army received a surplus of toys and plan to distribute the excess toys to the community sometime next year.
"We're excited because we'll get to share with some of the low-income child cares and some public schools in January so that they'll still go directly to the community and not sit in a closet," James said.
James said that the Hutchinson Salvation Army would also store some of the excess toys and supplies to aid fire victims during the year.
In James' 20 years of service to the Salvation Army, she and her husband have spent the last three in Hutchinson, where she said the volunteers in Hutchinson are different compared to larger cities like Chicago.
"Other places, it can sometimes be just big corporations who donate, and you don't ever see the faces," James said. "But in Hutch, it's a lot more personal, and people want to have their hands in it."
Some in Hutchinson rely on the Toy Distribution Program to provide toys for their families, Hutchinson resident Carrie Hurlburt said the Salvation Army helped her significantly this year.
"I just can't believe the stuff they've helped me with, so the kids are going to be excited for Christmas," Hurlburt said.
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