Toys for Tots begins Friday and Saturday at 2 Walmart stores

The annual Toys for Tots campaign to collect Christmas gifts for children in need kicks off Friday and Saturday with U.S. Marines collecting donations at Walmart stores in Carson City and Douglas County.

“We’ll be there to ring in the holiday season,” said Joyce Buckingham, executive director of Ron Wood Family Resource Center and Toys for Tots coordinator. “And we’re calling attention to the fact that we’re looking at up to 7,000 kids.”

The campaign will serve families in Carson City as well as Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties.

There will be special events to collect donations, such as Cookies with Santa at Adele’s on Dec. 21, and more than 100 drop-off locations in the area.

“We’re doing everything we can to get the toys in,” Buckingham said.

The hotline for families to call to request assistance opens Monday and runs through Dec. 23. The number, 775-884-8697, will operate from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

“We’ll make sure we’ve got everybody covered,” Buckingham said.

The Ron Wood Family Resource Center has coordinated the drive for more than a decade, Buckingham said. This is her eighth year at the helm.

“We have a very generous community,” she said. “Even though the need is great, the community is also great. They are always helping out.”

She said that while she appreciates all the donations, the families are the most grateful.

“They’re thankful and gracious,” she said. “They’re donated with respect and dignity. That’s something they really appreciate.”

For more information or locations to donate, visit carson-city-nv.toysfortots.org.