Bringing the Joy of Christmas to Every Child in Tacoma & Pierce County
Every child deserves the magic of Christmas morning.
Since 1947, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program has made sure that even the kids whose families are struggling wake up on Christmas Day with a wrapped gift under the tree. VFW Post 969 is proud to partner with the Marines every year to serve as a collection site and community champion for one of the most beloved charitable programs in America.
Because no child in Pierce County should go without a toy at Christmas.
It started with a handmade Raggedy Ann doll.
In the fall of 1947, Diane Hendricks — the wife of Marine Corps Reserve Major Bill Hendricks — sewed a rag doll and asked her husband to donate it to an organization that gave toys to needy children at Christmas. When Bill searched Los Angeles for such an agency, he couldn't find one.
Diane's response? "Start one."
Bill rallied his fellow Marine reservists, and that first Christmas — 1947 — they collected and distributed 5,000 toys to children in need across Los Angeles.
The next year, the Commandant of the Marine Corps saw what they had built and directed every Reserve unit in America to run a Toys for Tots campaign. Bill's civilian job was Director of Public Relations at Warner Brothers Studios — so as a favor to his friend, Walt Disney personally designed the first Toys for Tots poster and the little red train logo the program still uses today.
Since 1947, Toys for Tots has distributed more than 732 million toys to 325 million children across America.toysfortots
One doll. One idea. One woman's simple question. And 75+ years later, the whole nation is still delivering Christmas.
Every year, Post 969 partners with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and the local Pierce County Toys for Tots campaign to serve as a community collection point during the holiday season.
Here's what we do:
✅ Host a Toys for Tots collection barrel at the Post from October through December
✅ Promote the drive through our Facebook, newsletter, and community events
✅ Rally our members, families, and hall renters to donate new, unwrapped toys
✅ Support Marine Reserve pickup and distribution logistics
✅ Amplify local Marine Corps League detachment efforts across Tacoma and Pierce County
There are three easy ways to be part of Toys for Tots this Christmas:
1. 🧸 Donate a New, Unwrapped Toy
Drop off any new, unwrapped toy at VFW Post 969, 3510 McKinley Ave, Tacoma, WA 98404 during the collection season (October – mid December).
2. 💵 Donate Cash to Toys for Tots
100% of your donation goes to purchasing toys for local kids. Donate directly at toysfortots.org.toysfortots
3. 🙋 Volunteer
We always need helping hands with sorting, delivery, and community pickup runs. Contact Post 969 to get plugged in.
📞 253-272-1405 · ✉️ adj@vfw969.org
Per the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation:
✅ New toys only (since 1980 — Marines stopped accepting used toys for safety and dignity reasons)
✅ Unwrapped so volunteers can sort by age and gender
✅ All ages served — infants through teens (books, sports gear, and gifts for older kids are especially needed and often in short supply)
❌ No toy guns, no toys of a violent nature, no food items
Especially needed: Gifts for teens (ages 10-13) — this age group is consistently underserved.
If you live in Pierce County and need help providing Christmas for your children this year, Toys for Tots is here for you — no judgment, no shame, just Christmas.
📝 Request a Toy →toysfortots
🗺️ Find your local Pierce County chapter →toysfortots
👶 Serves children ages 0-13 in Pierce Countypierce.ctc
Toys for Tots is officially an operational mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve (designated by the Secretary of Defense in 1995). VFW Posts across America — including Post 969 — proudly serve alongside the Marines every Christmas season because when a child in our community is hurting, we all show up.
Semper Fi. No One Left Behind. Not Even at Christmas.
Whether you're a donor, a volunteer, or a family in need — Post 969 is your neighborhood Toys for Tots home base.
VFW Post 969 — Eric G. Sandstrom Post
📍 3510 McKinley Ave, Tacoma, WA 98404
📞 253-272-1405
✉️ adj@vfw969.org
🌐 vfw969.org
📘 Facebook
National: toysfortots.orgtoysfortots
"To bring the joy of Christmas to America's less fortunate children."
— Toys for Tots mission, unchanged since 1947
No one does more for veterans — or the kids in their communities.