Toys were piled high for a good cause inside The Aqua Turf Club in Southington.
“Probably would have been my childhood dream or I would have just been in awe to see a mountain, a tree of toys like that,” state employee Andrew Laguna said.
Among the donations were some of the classics like Sorry, Barbie and Battleship.
“It is one of my favorite childhood games, so got to give it to the next generation,” Laguna said.
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On Friday morning, A&R state employees union held its annual holiday toy drive.
U.S. Marines received 450 donations that will be counted towards NBC Connecticut’s Toy Drive on Dec. 14.
“It gives me a lot of hope for the community because it looks like a lot of people still care about the children here and it’s a good feeling that we have,” U.S. Marines Sgt. Xavier Pacheco said.
Several state employees donated games, bikes and much more.
Laguna said it felt good to help add a gift under the Christmas tree for a kid who might otherwise not have anything to unwrap.
“It is heartwarming because there are kids out there that don’t have anything. There are families out there that can barely afford Christmas,” Laguna said.
A&R has partnered with the U.S. Marines for about 20 holiday seasons.
“It really is our opportunity to give back to everyone, we absolutely enjoy it. It’s a great event that we have, everyone comes out every year,” A&R President John DiSette said.
Once all the donations were in, the Marines loaded up a truck to head to their warehouse in Plainville, where families can come get toys starting Dec 16.
“We are looking forward to seeing all these families come in and grab their bags for their kids,” Pacheco said.
The Marines hope to reach a total of 80,000 donations this year. To help the Marines reach that goal, NBC Connecticut is hosting its annual Connecting you to Joy Toy Drive on Dec. 14.
