Say the word, “Marine,” and you think of a real tough man or woman 

able to take down a formidable enemy with little more than bare hands.

So, the words “toys” and “tots” don’t seem to go with “Marine.”

But since 1947, the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation and the U.S. 

Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program has brought toys to 

children who would not otherwise have something under the tree. Or a 

tree, either.

Just like the Marine Corps, the Toys for Tots program has a focus: 

“The mission of Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is to assist the U. 

S. Marine Corps in providing a tangible sign of hope to economically 

disadvantaged children at Christmas,” their website states. Since 

1947, the organization 400 million toys have been given to 188 

million children in need.

Big job. Tough guys and gals, indeed.

In order to complete their mission, the Toys for Tots program has 

reached out to charitable groups throughout the country. In Baldwin 

and Escambia counties, the coordinator is Shinora Redmond of 

Empowerment Tabernacle Christian Church in Atmore.

“We assist the Marines,”she said, noting with the conflicts in the 

world, the Marines are stretched so thin civilian coordinators 

associated with local charities are used to run the program.

Although she’s not a Marine, she knows what it is like for a child to 

wake up without toys on Christmas.

“I went without Christmas from the time I was 7 years old,” she said. 

“It wasn’t until I had my own child that I realized how much it hurt.”

The program does not give directly to the children. Redmond says the 

new, donated toys are “given to the parents. We put (the toys) in 

bags, so parents can put them under the tree.” Each child gets two or 

three gifts, with the gifts ranging in value from $10 to $30.

Redmond’s Toys for Tots group provided toys for 3,000 children last 

year, and she said demand “looks to be up. I know that Ecumenical 

Ministries is already at what they had last year.”

That’s really too bad, says Sgt. Richard Roper of the Foley Police 

Department.

“(Christmas) is a chance to give back. Because of Toys for Tots, a 

lot of kids will have a chance for toys their parents won’t be able 

to give them,” he said.

The deadline to donate to Toys for Tots is Dec. 15. The deadline for 

requesting help has passed. In this area, donations of new, unwrapped 

toys can be brought to The United States Sports Academy, Dress Barn 

stores and Uncle Bob’s Storage in Foley.

For more information, e-mail empowerment@frontiernet.net, or call 

850-982-7529.

Although not a Marine, and not affiliated with the Marine Corps’ toy 

drive, Danielle Burke, a senior at Robertsdale High is running her 

own version of the well-known program out of the Loxley library. She 

is doing this a part of a service project for school.

“I started taking donations before Thanksgiving,” said Burke. She 

selected the Loxley library as her base of operations as she lives 

closer to that facility.

While the student was hesitant at first to ask for help, “Everybody 

has said yes.”

Burke will be sending her donations to Catholic Charities. She has 

donation canisters set up at area Cain’s grocery stores.

Unwrapped new toys and books can be dropped off at the Loxley Public 

Library. Used books will be given to the library for their book sale.

Burke learned a lesson in giving. While checking the donation boxes 

at a local store, she didn’t find much.

“There was only $7 and I was kind of upset,” Burke said. “But at 

another location there was more than $70, and that made me feel a lot 

better.”

She’s set up a paper tree in the library to track donations, and 

plans to have a children’s party in the library Dec. 18, from 10 a.m. 

to 2 p.m.

Burke hopes to become a librarian herself. She’s heading to Faulkner 

State Community College after graduation and will transfer to a four-

year school after that.

But, Burke has already learned an important lesson.

“I really became aware of people who need things for Christmas,” she 

said, uncurling two “Christmas lists” that were stuffed into a 

donation box. They outlined the wish for some simple toys for Christmas.

“I think I can take care of these myself,” she said.