Students and families at East Farms School in Farmington have collected hundreds of toys to donate to NBC CT and Telemundo CT’s annual toy drive.
“I feel excited,” said Naya Mutraji, a fourth grader, “and I wonder, where are they gonna go?”
The school’s library is filled with nearly 300 toys from Barbie's to games and skateboards.
“Our initial goal was 200 toys, so we’re almost 100 over that right now,” teacher Christine Yandow said.
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“We do the count on the morning announcements every day to just let them know, 'hey we’re up to this number.' We set a goal at the beginning of the week, we have far exceeded that goal. It’s amazing,” teacher Meghan LaMarre said.
It’s the school’s 19th year donating toys to the toy drive.
“It feels like the right thing to do,” third grader Noah Reyes said.
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On Saturday, dozens of students will be hand delivering the toys to the toy drive.
“Getting to see the smiles on the faces of the kids when they donate the toys, it’s one of the best parts of my job,” LaMarre said.
The educators say they spend the year teaching students these values, and it’s heartwarming to see them live out the true meaning of the season of giving.
“It is such a great feeling to see how our community steps up every year, in a year where times are hard for a lot of people, a lot of our families were able to say I’m here to help others,” Yandow said. “They’re learning the value of altruism at such a young age, that giving to others makes you feel so great inside.”
