By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County District Attorney Tom Stanton said the 23rd annual toy drive for his office starts on Monday. If you live in the Hutchinson area, you're probably not far from a box where you can drop off a new, unwrapped toy for a child.
"We will have boxes at the District Attorney's Office on the fifth floor of the courthouse," said Stanton. "On the first floor of the courthouse near the east doors, the Reno County Annex building at 125 West First, the Reno County Sheriff's Office, at the courthouse and at the Correctional Facility, the Department of Aging and RCAT facility at 120 West Avenue B, Reno County Public Works at 600 Scott Boulevard in South Hutchinson, Reno County Youth Services at 219 West 2nd Ave., the Reno County Health Department this year, at 209 West 2nd, the Hutchinson Police Department, and Bin Shoppin at 118 West 2nd Ave. That manager reached out to us and offered to put some boxes up. We're getting bigger."
Once the toys are collected, they are distributed to non-profit organizations with a need. The local group also gets supplemental toys in from the Toys for Tots Foundation, to help out if they run short of toys or don't have the monetary means of purchasing them.
"This is how we give back to the community and how we relate in a different way," Stanton said. "Working as prosecutors, we work with victims and with people who are really in bad shape throughout the year. We need these kinds of activities to refocus and to help us help the community. We're excited to be able to provide new and unwrapped toys for underprivileged children in the community. We would appreciate anybody's help."
Older children are sometimes hard to get donations for.
"We really get toys for infants through, oh, seventh or eighth grade," Stanton said. "When you get up into the high school years, it's hard to find things, toys for older youth, or fun things for older youth are often more expensive. We do need those. We have a need for that this year, especially."
The toy drive is Monday through Friday, Dec. 4-8.
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