Grants Toys for Tots launches

Marine SSgt. Larry Long holds gifts donated to the Toys for Tots program from the preschoolers of Sheryll Henderson and Verna Emersons's class Wednesday at First United Methodist Church School, in Gallup. — © 2008 Gallup Independent / Staff Photo

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — The annual U.S. Marine Corps Reserves Toys for Tots campaign is gearing up and Sunday will hold a benefit run to raise funds to buy Christmas toys for children who are not as fortunate as others.

Raymond Savedra, state coordinator for the program, who lives in Grants, said this year he expects to provide about 3,000 toys for about 2,000 children, much like the program did last year.

The toys will be distributed to several hundred children on Dec. 17 at 7 p.m., at the BPOE Elks Lodge, No. 2053, 805 N. Charles St., in Grants, and to the remainder of the children through several other organizations, such as Head Start, to foster children in the county, and through social services, he said.

The benefit run Sunday begins registration at 10:30 a.m., with the run beginning at noon.

“The run will be in town and should be completed by 1:30 or 2 p.m.,” he said.

At 2 p.m., at the Elks Lodge, is hosting a luncheon for participants, featuring hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad and desserts. The lunch is followed by a benefit drawing for items donated by area merchants.

A donation of one $10 toy and $10 cash, or $20 is asked to participate in the run, he said.

40 pounds of potato salad

Savedra’s wife, Mary Lou, said she works for two days, almost from sunup to late at night, to prepare 40 pounds of potato salad and pots of chili beans for the annual luncheon.

“I can’t even tell you how many quarts of mayonnaise I use,” she said. “But, I use about six dozen eggs, and of course salt and pepper.”

She said she has five large cooking pots that are going all day, both days, cooking the potatoes Friday and the chili beans on Saturday.

On Saturday, she will take the 40 pounds of potatoes that were cooked Friday out of the large refrigerator in her garage, and begin peeling them. The ingredients: mayonnaise, celery, and a touch of mustard, are all added and mixed together last and then the potato salad is placed in the large walk-in refrigerator at the lodge in preparation for Sunday.

Peeling potatoes is probably the most time consuming and labor intensive part of the process and every year she said she has no help.

“I would love to have some help Saturday to make the potato salad,” she said.

Anyone who would like to volunteer to help may call her at (505) 287-9201.

Applications

Parents, foster parents, guardians and social service workers may pick up applications for the toys to be distributed to the children at Bernie’s Route 66 Motorcycle Shop, 1016 W. Santa Fe Ave., (5050 287-5152.

“We need the applications completed for our records, which go to the Marine Corps Reserves in Washington, she said.

“We have to account for every penny, every toy that is purchased, donated and distributed,” she said.
“We turn no children away,” Raymond Savedra said.

“Of course, if anyone would like to donate cash, we will gladly accept that,” he said. The mailing address is: Toys for Tots, C/O Raymond Savedra, 219 Adams, Grants, NM 87020.

Toys for Tots drop boxes are placed at merchants and stores all through Grants and Milan. New toys only are accepted. They are wrapped by the female inmates at Cibola County detention center every year, he said.

The Grants High school JrROTC cadets will be outside Wal-Mart in Grants for the next three weekends, Dec. 6-7, 13-14 and 20-21, to collect donations.

Recording artists Colin Raye and Restless Heart will be in concert, billed as “The Gift of Christmas” show at Sky City on Saturday and half of the concert tickets proceeds will be donated by the casino to the Toys for Tots program, LaVina Ray, spokeswoman for the casino, announced Tuesday.

Information: (505) 287-9201
On the net: www.toysfortots.org.
To contact reporter Jim Tiffin call (505) 285-4560 or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.