Earl Blount, a volunteer toy sorter for Toys for Tots in Boston, had little to do but hope for more donations.
(Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff)
Toys for Tots, a foundation run by the US Marines that provides new toys to needy children, is facing a shortage this year in the aftermath of massive toy recalls and a growing demand from area families.
The charity has had to discard hundreds of donated toys because they appeared on recall lists, and a local company providing free lead testing on the donated gifts discovered additional toys that contained lead, according to US Marine Corps Sergeant Daniel Peter Sampson, one of the local coordinators.
Over the past several months, major toy manufacturers, including Mattel Inc. and the makers of the popular Thomas & Friends wooden railway sets, have recalled more than 20 millions toys due to safety concerns about products made in China. The recalls have changed the landscape of the toy business, with nervous parents cutting their toy spending and opting to shop in specialty stores for toys made in the United States and Europe.
Last year, Toys for Tots gave out 200,000 toys to 69,000 families in the greater Boston area. This year, the foundation has requests for more than 220,000 toys and with about two weeks left, only 60 percent of the orders are filled, Sampson said. There have also been fewer cash donations this year, exacerbating the shortage.
"We're definitely concerned we're not going to be able to fill all these orders," Sampson said. "We have boxes and boxes of unsafe toys. It's a big guessing game now."
Jenn Abelson can be reached at abelson@globe.com.
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
