Toys for Tots Deals with Glitches and a Toy Shortage this Year

Many parents who are unable to give their children a merry Christmas rely on Toys for Tots, an organization run by the U.S. Marines that collects donations of toys for those in need. A number of other nonprofit organizations partner with Toys for Tots every year. The group provides these organizations with toys to distribute.

This has always been the case in Pittsburgh, but this year, The Pittsburgh Project has had to deal with two major issues: a possible computer glitch has left nine different groups with nothing to give out to those counting on the toys, and an overall toy shortage may mean fewer families will go home with gifts.

While the cause of any glitch, if that is the issue behind this problem, is unknown, coordinators with Toys for Tots have been working diligently to find out exactly why some organizations didn’t get toys. The individual organizations were doing everything possible to gather more gifts to give out. Every year, there are more and more requests for toys, but there’s rarely such a large toy shortage as there is this year. Organizations made several additional toy purchases, but they continue to run out.

While all toy donations are always appreciated, another issue Toys for Tots has come up against is a lack of toys for specific age ranges. This year they’ve received a large number of toys and other items for younger children, but the majority of the toy shortage is for items for kids age 8 and older.

While Toys for Tots continued to do everything possible to gather toys for various nonprofit organizations in Pittsburgh and to have enough toys to distribute to those who come directly to them, they were still facing a toy shortage.

To assist the group, Olympia Steel Buildings made a donation of $1,000 worth of toys to the organization. These toys went directly to those who would otherwise have nothing for Christmas this year.

We believe every child should have a gift to open on Christmas Day, and we’re proud to stand with The Pittsburgh Project and all that they do.

The Pittsburgh Project is a Christian nonprofit community development organization that has been around nearly 30 years. They employ roughly 26 staff members year round with an additional summer staff of about 50 individuals. They run a series of after school and summer programs for more than 200 young people. They also use about 2,000 people a year to do volunteer work such as repair homes for elderly home owners. The Pittsburgh Project strives to better the community and create a positive proactive atmosphere for the Pittsburgh youth.

The holidays are not the only time you should thing about getting involved. The Pittsburgh Project has opportunities for you to give back to the community and volunteer throughout the year. If you would like to help their cause, please visit their Volunteering Page