ROGERS, Ark. — The Toys for Tots program, just like many families in our area, is struggling this holiday season.
Organizers say they are working harder than ever before to make sure children will have a gift to unwrap on Christmas morning.
Organizers at Care Community Center in Rogers, which partners with Toys for Tots, say they have never had this many people need assistance before.
They say donations are nowhere near the demand and donating even just one toy can make all the difference.
“Crazy amounts of people and people who have never needed assistance before. People who have always been very self-sufficient and been able to take care of themselves need help this year and there broken up about it. It’s really hard for everybody right now definitely,” said Mikayla Porter with Care Community Center in Rogers.
Normally the Care Community Center, which helps Benton, Washington, Carroll and Madison Counties, give out about 10,000 toys. This year they are looking to double that number to around 20,000.
The organizations have taken two hits because of the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in requests for toys and a decrease in donations.
“The pandemic has a lot to do with it," Porter said. "The unemployment rates insane right now nobody has work. Everybody is spending all their savings on getting by and all the money people would of have saved for Christmas is being spent on bills.”
If the organizations don't receive more toy donations soon, it will affect the Christmas list of local children in need.
“In the last when there has been Deficits in donations. We try to scrounge up a little bit of extra change from somewhere to try and cover those but this year I don’t know if we’ll be able to cover any deficits because like I said the demand is so high so we’re encouraging the community if they can donate, please do,” said Nathan Whisenant with Care Community Center in Rogers.
In the River Valley, it's the same story. The Assistant Toys for Tots Coordinator for the Fort Smith Area, Jesus Alvarez, says right now he still has over 2,000 kids who need gifts for Christmas.
“It has been really hard especially with this pandemic," Alvarez said. "It’s definitely hit us harder than what it did last year. Last year we didn’t have as many applications but this year it’s tripled in numbers that I’ve had. Just within the first week that we opened the applications, I had over 150 within two days."
If you can help, coordinators say now is the time to donate to your community.
“We definitely don’t wanna see a kid go without Christmas,” Alvarez said.
Toys for Tots in Fort Smith is hosting a bike run at Old Fort Smith Harley Davidson Saturday (Dec. 11) in hopes of collecting more toy and cash donations.
Click here to find a donation site near you.