As guests entered BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse on Dec. 3, for the annual Military Toy Drive party, they were pleasantly surprised.
As they walked past the display tables filled with all the toys purchased or donated to this toy drive, they were delighted by the overwhelming number of toys on those tables. There were dolls, trucks, stuffed animals, cars, basketballs, bicycles, footballs, soccer balls, tea sets, miscellaneous games, bike helmets, robots, Lego sets, and everything in between.
La Mesa Chamber members, friends and sponsors came together to celebrate the strength of our community in support of our families living in La Mesa military housing. The Chamber has a strong belief that being a leader within the community includes giving back and making a difference.
This is the eighth year that we have assisted these children and their families.
We are honored to partner with the following sponsors who helped make this happen: Our Presenting Sponsor, EDCO, was joined by Supporting Sponsors- Amanda Hammett Insurance & Financial Services – State Farm, Cabrillo Credit Union, Feeding the Flock SD, Lily’s Manufactured Homes, Tracey Ferguson and Gloria Shepard and U.S. Bank.
A grand total of 457 toys, clothing and other items were purchased and collected to make the holidays a little brighter for these families. The La Mesa Police Department has joined us in collecting toys and items for these families and we thank them for their annual support.
This project is done in partnership with Liberty Military Housing, the group that manages military housing throughout the nation and hosts holiday events for over 2,000 military children in our region. Representatives from Liberty Military Housing, Cindy Farless and her team were on hand to mix and mingle and take the toys with them at the end of the night to deliver to the families the next day.
We thank everyone who participated in this project to make it another success.
Our special thanks to our business members and community who answered our call for toys and put a smile on the faces of the La Mesa military children. Our special thanks to our photographer, Carrie Smedley and our dedicated volunteer staff who assisted that evening.
Editor’s note: Copy provided by La Mesa Chamber of Commerce
Photo credit: Pixabay.com
