Don’t forget to bring a new, unwrapped toy with you to any of the Corpus Christi holiday events listed below. Look for members of the U.S. Marine Corps in their dress blues at each event. They will collect your contribution to this year’s Toys for Tots program, a Marine Corps tradition since 1948. 
This year, the Marine in charge, Gunnery Sgt. Walter Rose, has set a goal of providing two toys, books and stocking stuffers to each of about 35,000 underprivileged children. That means 65,000 toys!
“I know there’s a lot of families out there in need, people who don’t have the chance to give their kids a good Christmas,” Rose told Corpus Christi Business News. “This is our chance to give back to the communities.” 
Donated new, unwrapped toys may be dropped off at multiple locations across the city, all of which are listed on the Corpus Christi Toys for Tots website. Area businesses can help Rose meet that goal by including toy collections as part of their company party tradition. Last year, more companies than ever made Toys for Tots part of their holiday celebrations. Rose wants to keep that number growing. 
“It’s all online,” he said. “You can sign up for a party, sign up to volunteer, find out where to donate toys or money.” 
Volunteers are needed to help organize toys in the program’s Sunrise Mall space through Jan. 15. 
The sooner you sign up, the better, especially for company parties. Rose said he can usually come up with the personnel for parties if he knows a week out. Marines attend to meet and greet, talk about the program and collect the toys. 
A longtime proponent of the Toys for Tots program, Rose is in charge for the first time. He is being helped by last year’s Toys for Tots coordinator, Staff Sgt. Andres Moratalla Jr. Like Moratalla, Rose comes from a military family and takes pride in community work.
“It’s a great feeling to give back to community organizations,” Rose said. “I’ve always been motivated to help out our local communities. 
Toys for Tots’ easy-to-use website can be found by typing “Corpus Christi Toys for Tots” in any search engine. The address is corpus-christi-tx.toysfortots.org. The easiest way to request Marines for a party, make a donation or volunteer is online. Or you can call Gunnery Sgt. Walter Rose of Company C, 1st Battalion 23d Marines, at (361) 442-0705. 
Bring your donated new, unwrapped toys to any of the following events: 

FRIDAY, DEC. 2

7 p.m.
Toys for Tots “Unwrapped & Unplugged” Acoustic Christmas
Concrete Street Amphitheater
700 Concrete St.
Tickets are free with a donation of a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots.

SUNDAY, DEC. 4
10 a.m. 
Toys for Tots motorcycle parade
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
630 Ocean Drive
Ends at Concrete Street Theater 
700 Concrete St.
Rain or shine, this parade goes on, collecting toys and money for Toys for Tots. Donations are picked up along the parade route by members of the U.S. Marine Corps League and Reserves. Includes barbecue, live music and an auction. 

TUESDAY, DEC. 6
6 p.m.
La Posade Foundation Kickoff Auction
Scuttlebutt’s Seafood Bar and Grill
14254 South Padre Island Drive
This nonprofit raises money for the local U.S. Marine Corps to make toy shopping trips for Toys for Tots. Money is raised through silent and live auctions. 

SATURDAY, DEC. 10
HARBOR LIGHTS FESTIVAL 
Bayshore Park and Marina, Downtown Corpus Christi

1 p.m. 
Children’s parade
Santa joins the Fiesta Holiday-themed parade, which begins at Kinney Street and proceeds north on Shoreline Boulevard to Schatzell Street. 

7 p.m. 
Illuminated boat parade 
Captains and their crews aboard their decorated boats sing carols while the Marine Corps collects toys for the Toys for Tots program. 

Holiday Toy and Food Drive Round-Up

Marines aren’t the only ones collecting toys for children in need this holiday season, and toys are not the only things you can donate. Bring your new, unwrapped toys and non-perishable food to any of the locations listed below. Spread Christmas cheer across the Coastal Bend!

Calaveras Corpitos benefitting CASA of the Coastal Bend
Purchase a gift card for a child in crisis with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).
Dec. 10-11, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. 
Callalen Walmart at Five Points, 3829 U.S. 77 in Corpus Christi

County Court toy drive for Child Protective Services
Help Child Protective Services by donating stuffed animals to be given to children in CPS and adoption court proceedings.
Donate at:
• County Court at Law No. 5, 2310 Gollihar Road
• Sonic Drive-In, 4801 S. Staples St.
• Sonic Drive-In, 6557 S. Staples St.
• Sonic Drive-In, 3500 Ayers St.
• Hose of South Texas, 4515 Agnes St.
• Nueces County Republican Party headquarters, 4639 Corona St., Suite 5

KM Premier Real Estate benefiting the Hope House of Corpus Christi
Dec. 8, 5-8 p.m.
Attend the Diamond Plaza for KM Premier Real Estate’s toy drive featuring photos with Santa, a DJ and refreshments. Exchange your unwrapped gift for a raffle ticket and a chance to win a gift of your own. RSVP by Dec. 5 at facebook.com/kmpremiercc. Call (361) 991-5263 or visit kmrealestate.com for more information.
Diamond Plaza is located at 7009 S. Staples, Suite 102B.

Texas Society of CPAs fifth annual Counting on Santa Toy Drive
Bring a new, unwrapped toy to Brewster Street Ice House, 1724 N. Tancahua St., by Dec. 9.

Food Bank of Corpus Christi
Donations for the Food Bank can come in several forms at different locations:

Any local H-E-B through Dec. 4
Add $1, $3 or $5 to your groceries at checkout. Last year, H-E-B collected $39,000, which provided 273,000 meals to families in South Texas. 

ArtWalk, Dec. 4
Bring non-perishable food items to the First Friday Art Walk from 5:30-9 p.m. in La Retama Park. 

BridgeWalk, Dec. 6
Food collections continue at the First Weekend BridgeWalk between 7:15 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. in Heritage Park.

Downtown Management District office
Bring food donations to the office at 223 N. Chaparral St., Suite A, to help DMD beat the RTA in a battle for most food donated. 

Regional Transit Authority
The RTA goes head to head with the Downtown Management District to see which entity can collect the most canned goods for the Corpus Christi Food Bank. Pick your favorite and bring your cans to the Staples Street Center, 602 N. Staples St.