GARDEN CITY, N. Y. – Marines with 6th Communications Battalion will be in Times Square collecting donations for the 2013 Toys for Tots drive Dec. 17 – 20 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The Marines will be located next to the Armed Forces Recruiting Center, known as Military Island, with a tactical truck to transport the toys that they collect.

Toy for Tots accepts new and unwrapped toys for distribution to less fortunate children in the local community.

“We collected 159,000 toys last year and our goal is to collect 200,000 toys by Christmas this year,” said Staff Sergeant Dustin Sawyer, the Toys For Tots coordinator for 6th Comm. Bn.  “We still need 100,000 toys to make our goal.”

Since beginning the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program in 1947, Marines have distributed more than 452 million toys to more than 209 million needy children.  This charitable endeavor has made U.S. Marines the unchallenged leader in looking after less fortunate children at Christmas

“Everything about Toys For Tots is America’s reserve Marines giving back to the community they come from,” said Lt. Col. Richard Bordonaro, the inspector instructor for 6th Comm. Bn.

“Our Marines are going above and beyond to make this toy drive better than last year and we hope the great people of New York City can come out and help.”

For more information visit http://brooklyn-ny.toysfortots.org/  or contact 1st Marine Corps District Public Affairs.