Milford-Area Toy Drive Collects Over $25K In Donations

MILFORD, MA — A toy drive over the Black Friday weekend at the Bellingham Walmart collected about $25,000 worth of items, according to organizers.

Here's more from a MyFM 101.3 news release:

Massachusetts Broadcasters Association’s 2021 Radio Station of the Year, MyFM 101.3, recently spent the weekend of Friday, November 26th through Sunday, November 28th, braving the elements outside of Walmart in Bellingham, MA collecting an estimated $25,000 worth of toys over a 31-hour period for the local, veterans-operated organization Toys For Kids And Teens.

A COW (Container on Wheels) was generously donated by Gallo Moving in Milford and utilized as storage for the donated toys over the three-day donation event. The COW was also used to efficiently transport the donations to the Toys For Kids and Teens headquarters in Northbridge at the end of the collection.

Many toys were donated on site from listeners of the station and Walmart shoppers. A large factor in the success of the drive each year is through the generous support from “Shopping Spree Sponsors”.

A Shopping Spree Sponsor is an individual/business that donates a minimum of $250.00 in cash to the cause. The cash donation was then spent on toys by an official MyFM Tailgating For Toys volunteer in Walmart. In return for the monetary donation, the shopping was done and a Facebook video was posted with all the toys purchased in their name as a thank you. Videos can be viewed on the station’s Facebook page @MyFM1013.

“Those sponsorships make a huge impact. It really sets the tone for the entire drive. We’re lucky to have so many generous friends,” said MyFM Operations manager and event coordinator, Ray Auger.

Toys For Kids and Teens is a 5013c non-profit organization that collects and disperses toys during the holiday season to families in need. Toys For Kids and Teens covers the Blackstone Valley area, further points east. They can be reached through their website at www.toysforkidsandteens.com.