A Yearly Tradition Returns: WCNL’s Toys for Tots Drive Runs Until 12/10

By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
NEWPORT — Amidst the rain and the wind, Steve Smith, along with volunteers, is manning the tent in front of WCNL to receive donations for Toys for Tots.

The three-day donation drive takes place from December 7th through December 10th and goes from 6am until 5pm each day.

Smith began the drive in 2003 while working at another radio station in Lebanon, and when he started at WCNL in 2007, he decided to bring the tradition with him. Each year, Smith stands outside the radio station under a tent hosting his shows live from the sidewalk while they accept cash and toy donations. The drive happens every first full week of December, and Smith encourages anyone to stop down and donate what they are able to.

According to Smith, it was post 9/11 that he saw a lot of charities taking donations and wanted to help as well. However, reports of charities skimming money from their coffers left Smith feeling jaded about his or anyone’s ability to help people in need. It was when he found Toys for Tots that Smith felt as though it would be a good opportunity to help a vulnerable population that wasn’t at risk of any kind of fraud.

“You can’t exactly skim a basketball, and this seemed like a really great way to give back to the kids in the community,” Smith said.

For anyone unable to donate during the times Smith and his cohorts will be accepting donations there remains the opportunity for folks to donate at boxes like the one outside of Aubuchon Hardware. Smith says that doing the in-person drive helps put a face to the cause and offers the opportunity to bring awareness.

At the end of the day, Smith says it’s all about helping the kids and making sure they are able to have a good holiday. According to Smith, toys are received from Toys for Tots by groups like Claremont Kiwanis Club who then offer those toys to families in need. If they are short of their goal they are then able to reach out to Toys for Tots to fill that gap. Toys are then given to families and families are then able to wrap them themselves.

“It’s great giving them the toys that way, the parents or caregivers are able to wrap them and the kids have no idea what happened. You just never know what might put a family in that situation, plenty of them might be there because of COVID, so we are just happy to help these kids have a good holiday season,” Smith stated about the drive.

The drive on its first day has already been able to accept hundreds of toys and thousands in cash donations. Smith claims that it’s during more difficult economic times that people tend to give more, theorizing that people are more cognisant of the needs of their communities and want to give back. Smith also stated that nothing warms his heart more than when he has community members come up and inform him that they had once been recipients of aid from Toys for Tots and now wants to give back.