Toys for Tots drive nets 445 donations

The Toys for Tots drive led by Veteran Services and the student organization VeteranOne collected 445 toys for needy children in the area with the help of several other student groups and organizations, reports Judy Gagnon, coordinator of Veteran Services.

The toy drive was conducted in coopeartion with the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Belchertown and received a boost of support from Alpha Phi Omega, a coed service organization, the Joint Student Engineering Societies, the Student Nurses Association and the Off Campus Student Center.

VeteranOne single-handedly collected more than 230 toys by setting up a Toys for Tots truck outside Target in Hadley on the weekend after Thanksgiving, said Gagnon.

The annual Toys for Tots campaign is sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.