The director of a local homeless shelter said giving back to the area isn’t something one might think her organization would do, but Saturday Shepherd’s House did just that in tremendous fashion.
Mary Boyles, the home’s executive director, said when she took on the top job at the shelter in September, one of the first orders of business was to clean out some storage space. Boyles said when she and other staff members moved a few peices of furniture they uncovered about 2,000 toys.
The toys were more than the shelter needed, so Boyles chose to put them in the hands of Marine Corps League Detachment 1322 and Toys for Tots.
“We wanted to involve the veterans,” said Boyles. “They do so much for us here at the shelter.”
Boyles said 500 items were handed over to the Marines on Saturday after the city’s Christmas parade. She said it’s a way to give back to a community that is supportive of the shelter’s mission and operations.
“This is our way of paying it forward,” said Boyles. “It’s a good feeling for a homeless shelter to be able to give back to the community.”
The Marines work closely with Toys for Tots, an organization started decades ago by a Marine, in order to make Christmas special for many Surry County children. Together, the entities brought Christmas to more than 1,300 area children last year, according to Toys for Tots coordinator Antoinette Williams.
Williams said each child receives two to three toys most years and possibly four in years in which donations are plentiful.
Williams works with the Salvation Army, Pilot Outreach, the Friends Feeding Friends program at First Baptist Church and the Surry and Yadkin Children’s Centers to put the toys in the hands of the children who need them the most.
If somebody has missed the deadline to register with one of those organizations, Williams said they aren’t necessarily out of luck. Williams said Toys for Tots also does direct distribution for those who aren’t registered with the other entities.
Williams said she and the Marine Corps League Detachment will be distributing the toys on the second and third weeks of December.
For more information regarding the Surry County Toys for Tots program, contact Williams at 351-5888 or surrynctft@yahoo.com.
