Toys for Tots Delivers a Message of Hope to Needy Kids This (and Every) Christmas

In the fall of 1947, Major Bill Hendricks, USMCR was asked by his wife Diane to deliver a homemade doll to an organization that would give it to a needy child at Christmas. When Hendricks learned that there was no such organization, Diane suggested that he start one. That year, Hendricks and a group of Marine Reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to disadvantaged children. Because Hendricks' Toys for Tots project was so successful, the Marine Corps decided to adopt it in 1948 and turned it into a national campaign, running the program in every community that had a Marine Reserve Center. Hendricks, who served as the director of public relations for Warner Brothers Studio on weekdays, was able to get various celebrities to support Toys for Tots. Walt Disney designed the campaign's logo and first poster, while Sammy Fain and Paul Webster composed the theme, which was recorded by Peggy Lee, Nat “King” Cole, and Vic Damone.

The Marines have collected and distributed toys for less fortunate kids ever since to bring them the joy of Christmas. Beginning in 1980, only new toys were collected to avoid health and safety issues and to deliver a message of hope. This in turn boosts self-esteem and encourages children to become productive, responsible, and patriotic members of their community.

In 1991, the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation was established as a non-profit charity committed to supporting the program. To date, Toys for Tots, which is now an official activity of the US Marine Corps and an official mission of the Marine Corps Reserve, has delivered over 452 million toys to more than 209 needy children in America. Over the years, the Foundation has earned a number of accolades, including the DMA Nonprofit Federations' “Outstanding Nonprofit Organization of the Year” and Reader's Digest's “America's Best Children's Charity.” The Marines have recently kicked off this year's Toys for Tots campaign, which is being conducted in more than 700 communities in all 50 states.