Less fortunate children in the Perry area recently received some holiday cheer.

John and Linda Andorf are the co-organizers of the Toy and Gift Drive in conjunction with Dallas County New Opportunities. John says that while he and Linda purchase toys throughout the year, their main push is in November when they set out the collection boxes at various locations in town. John is proud to say they received a record number of monetary donations from corporations, as well as toy donations this year. He points out they served 350 children and each kid gets at least three toys. 

John talks about why he continues to be a co-organizer of this program.

“I can’t imagine a child waking up on Christmas morning and not finding a toy or maybe something special (that) they really wanted. So doing it year after year and seeing how appreciative the families are, it’s just so rewarding. It’s something that I want to continue doing and it’s for the community, it’s for the kids. My hope is that many of those kids somewhere down the road will be able to pay it forward.”   

John thanks everyone who is involved with the Toy and Gift Drive that have contributed to the success of it every year. He adds if people want to make a donation, they can drop those off at Dallas County New Opportunities and it can be earmarked for the toy program.