Members of the Maj. Megan McClung Marine Corps League Detachment 1210 want every child on Whidbey Island to have a merry Christmas, and Toys for Tots is how they hope to do it.

The group has begun its annual toy drive, which will provide a new toy to as many as 1,400 children in need on Whidbey Island this year.

“Our goal is to get one really good quality toy for every child on the island,” said Re McClung, whose husband, Mike, is the Commandant of Detachment 1210. This is the second year the couple has coordinated the toy drive, although the Marine Corps League has long been part of the Toys for Tots effort.

According to Re, they partner with five different agencies on the island with whom families have registered for assistance. The agencies provide the number of children in particular age groups so Re can target the shopping.

“That’s how we know what it is we need to find,” Re said. “We secure the toys, and (the agencies) deliver them to the children.”

Toys for Tots rules allow people to donate new, unwrapped toys into any collection box they see. While there are agencies on the south end of the island that take care of those boxes, the Marine Corps League has dozens of boxes in various locations all around Coupeville and Oak Harbor, even in Freeland.

The toys collected are sorted by age groups and are used to match the requests from the agencies’ lists. Most often items donated fit the 6 to 10 age group, which is the easiest group to buy for, according to Re. Items for infants to age 4 and items for teens ages 12 to 14 are harder to get.

“We have that middle age group (from about 6 to 10) covered really well. That infant end and teenager end are more difficult for us,” Re said. “We like to have toys that are interactive for children that help develop motor skills.”

All toys donated on Whidbey Island stay on the island. Items donated on the north end typically stay on the north end and vice versa. However, if there is a big need for baby items in Langley, for example, and there are a lot of baby things available in Oak Harbor, Re said organizers will shuffle things around a bit.

Any money donated on Whidbey Island also stays here, Mike McClung said. The national Toys for Tots organization tracks donations and distributes those funds to each group so organizers can go shopping. Re said she starts the process in September.

“With the money we’re given, I scour all the toy catalogs and research the best toys for Christmas and the favorite toys. Then I come up with lists,” she said. “We’re only allowed to buy a toy up to $29.95, so I look at the toys in that price range and try to get them on sale.”

That price limit only applies to Toys for Tots organizers, however.

“I can’t buy anything over $30, but people can donate whatever they want,” said Mike. Last year, for example, Navy Federal Credit Union raised money and donated 18 new bicycles.

“Obviously we have a need for more than 18 bikes on the island,” Re said, adding that donated sports equipment is also a big help. “If a person bought a bat, that’s a huge help for us.”

And the need for toys keeps increasing as the number of children increases.

“We’ve had about 150 to 200 more children each year, so the need is absolutely increasing,” Mike said.

Coordinating all of this is a lot of work, obviously. But for Mike and Re, who lost their daughter, Maj. Megan McClung, in December of 2006, it helps make a difficult time of the year for their family a little easier.

“It’s a heart project for me, because I always wanted to do Toys for Tots. This is the time of year we lost our Megan, so to be out doing something for other people is a really good way to get through the holidays,” Re said. “It makes me ‘other focused’ for the holidays.”

Financial contributions can be made to Toys for Tots throughout the year. Donations of new, unwrapped toys will be taken through Monday, Dec. 19.

“We’re grateful for any toys we get and we’ll make sure they get to the right place and in the right hands for Christmas,” Re said.

And even in a tight economy, Re is confident they will collect what they need.

“People on this island are so generous,” she said. “We couldn’t do this without them. We couldn’t make it happen without their help.”

How to Donate:

Members of the Maj. Megan McClung Marine Corps League Detachment 1210 will be collecting money for Toys for Tots from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 10 and 11 at the ferry dock in Clinton. This is the group’s major Toys for Tots fundraiser for the year.

The group will also have collection bins at several local holiday events, including the Oak Harbor High School Holiday Choir concert at 3 p.m. Saturday, the Oak Harbor High School Holiday Band concert at 3 p.m. on Dec. 15 and at the Northwest Navy Band Holiday concert at 3 p.m. on Dec. 17.

To make a monetary donation to Toys for Tots, send a check payable to Toys for Tots and send it to: Toys For Tots – Whidbey, c/o MCL Detachment #1210, P.O. Box 977, Oak Harbor, WA 98277. If desired, note “For Whidbey Island” on the memo line.

For other information, please call 320-3013.

North Whidbey collection sites

Coupeville:

Coupeville Coffee and Bakery (Main Street)

Coupeville Elementary School

Coupeville Library

Coupeville Middle/High School

Ebey Bowling Alley

Honey Bear

Knead and Feed

Living Hope

The Pizza Factory

United Methodist Church

Wells Fargo

Whidbey General Hospital

Whidbey Island Bank

Freeland:

Studio A

Oak Harbor:

Ace Hardware (Pioneer)

Alaska FCU

American Legion Post #129

Banner Banks

Brandman University

Caldwell Banker (Pioneer)

Caldwell Banker (SR-20)

Fleet Resources Center NW

Hallmark (Hwy 20)

K-Mart

Koetje (Pioneer)

Koetje (SR-20)

NAS Whidbey Island: Hospital, CNATTU, Officers’ Club,  VAQ-129, Navy Exchange

Naval Federal Credit Union

North Puget Sound Association of Realtors

Oak Bowl

Oak Harbor Hallmark

Oak Harbor Middle School

Oak Harbor Yacht Club

Peoples Bank

Safeway

Skagit Valley College

The Jewelry Gallery

Veterans of Foreign Wars

Walgreens (Hwy 20)

WalMart

Wells Fargo Banks

Whidbey Island Banks

Wind and Tide Bookshop