Volunteers and members of the LINK toy distribution committee spent last Sunday afternoon organizing toys at Herndon United Methodist Church.
As donations of toys trickled in through the afternoon, volunteers meticulously counted each overflowing table of toys for children of all ages. By the end roughly 3,000 toys were donated — enough for each child registered to receive two toys, said Lisa Fagen, LINK toy distribution committee member.
For the last 33 years LINK — a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization comprised of 15 churches from all denominations — has offered a one-day event for families and individuals in need to "shop" for a week's worth of food. Because many of the area's residents-in-need cannot afford to give their children gifts during the holidays, the group has pledged to help the 550 families signed up for the food distribution receive at least one toy this year as well.