In honor of Giving Tuesday—aka Giving “Toys” Day—The Walt Disney Company shared today that the Disney Ultimate Toy Drive, with the support of so many families and fans, has collected 16,125 toys so far this holiday season for the Marine Toys for Tots Program. To celebrate more than 75 years of collaboration with this wonderful organization, Disney announced that the Disney Ultimate Toy Drive has provided grants to Toys for Tots that will deliver an additional 75,000 toys to children in need.
This #GivingTuesday, Disney has given @toysfortots_usa a grant to help deliver an additional 75,000 toys to kids in need! Donate a toy online at https://t.co/wVQ59qEiRt through 12/24/23 or in person at a drop-off location through 12/15/23. Learn more at https://t.co/JaWoBYcOAJ. pic.twitter.com/6nAFZhTE5P
— Good Morning America (@GMA) November 28, 2023
The donation was announced today on ABC’s “Good Morning America” by host Ginger Zee, where Staff Sergeant (SSgt) James Caldwell, a true hero and volunteer with a decades-long connection to Toys for Tots, was on hand with fellow Marines to help start wrapping some of the donated toys.
SSgt Caldwell previously served as the coordinator of the local Worcester, Massachusetts, Toys for Tots chapter for the past two years, though his personal connection with the organization stretches back to his early childhood.
Born into the foster care system, James found his forever family at just 6 months old when foster parents Bill and Judith Caldwell took him in. At 4 years old, James was officially adopted, a day he describes as “winning the lottery” and “the greatest thing that ever happened” to him.
SSgt Caldwell remembers receiving Toys for Tots gifts every Christmas for the first decade of his life, and he credits receiving these gifts as part of the reason he was inspired to join the Marine Corps to serve his country.
Now, he embraces the opportunity to give back to other children in need, carrying forward the legacy that shaped his own life. SSgt Caldwell has been involved with Toys for Tots throughout the entirety of his career and says he doesn’t remember a time when it wasn’t a part of his life.
Since Toys for Tots was founded in 1947, the same year Walt Disney and his team of animators designed the Toys for Tots logo that is still used today, Marines and volunteers have distributed 652 million toys to over 291 million children. You can be part of these efforts to inspire hope when it’s needed most this holiday season.
There are two ways to donate toys:
- Donate a toy online at shopDisney.com through December 24, 2023. -OR-
- Donate a new, unwrapped toy in person at one of our drop-off locations now through December 15, 2023. For locations across the United States, visit Disney.com/toydrive.
Join the Disney Ultimate Toy Drive and help us deliver joy this holiday season. Learn more at Disney.com/toydrive.
