Got Toys for annual Toy Coffee?

To help kick off the holiday season, members of the Service League are gearing up and adding a little Christmas cheer with their annual Toy Coffee.

With a theme of “Got Toys?” the Service League will begin their 56th year of the annual event.

“We have an upcoming event that is very important to our community and it helps the children that are unable to have a Christmas gift,” said Lisa Fournet, of the Service League. “The Toy Coffee event is a combined effort with the Salvation Army and the Service League of Orange. “

In order to find the families eligible for the program, the Salvation Army takes applications and diligently sorts through them.

The Service League locates a beautiful home that will be perfectly decorated for Christmas and provides delightful refreshments. This year, the home chosen belongs to Frank and Sue Pritchard. The address is 180 Greenhead Point which is located in the Waterwood Subdivision on Highway 62. Guests coming from Highway 73 need to take the second entrance and follow the signs to their residence and parking area. The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. o 2 p.m. on December 6.

Guests will receive a full tour of the Christmas decorations scattered throughout the home and the grounds. Following the tour, weather permitting, they will meet on the back patio for refreshments.

The traditional admission to the Toy Coffee fundraiser is to bring a new, unwrapped toy or a cash donation to be given to the Salvation Army.

“We are all working together to help the children have a very Merry Christmas.” Fournet said. “ Every child deserves a toy on Christmas morning.”

Last year the Service League raised $5,135 in cash donations and received 458 toys from the 458 attendees.

Not only is this a way to give back to the community, but allows everyone to feel like they are doing something nice for someone else, Fournet said.

After the Toy Coffee is done, members of the Service League are not done yet. They will meet on December 17th to help bag all the toys for the children before distribution.