Marine Corps Toys for Tots Is Making the Holidays Brighter for Kids in Northeastern Pennsylvania
Every holiday season, communities across Northeastern Pennsylvania come together with one goal in mind: making sure every child has a gift to open on Christmas morning. The Marine Corps Reserves Toys for Tots program has been part of that tradition for more than 75 years. And here in NEPA, it’s a huge local effort led by Sgt. Abraham Rubalcava, Toys for Tots Coordinator at the Marine Reserve Center in Wyoming, PA.
Behind the toy drives, donation bins, and community events is a whole lot of behind-the-scenes coordination, partnerships, and, most of all, heart. This year, the mission is bigger than ever.
A Legacy Rooted in Service
Toys for Tots began after World War II in 1947, when a Marine officer’s wife in Los Angeles organized a small holiday toy collection
Marines repaired and distributed used toys — the start of what would become a national program serving millions of children each year. What makes the organization stand out, Sgt. Rubalcava explained, is how efficiently it operates. “The Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation only uses two percent overhead,” he said. “For every dollar someone donates, ninety-eight cents goes directly to buying toys.” With only a small national team, the program relies on local Marines, volunteers and partner nonprofits to make everything happen.
In NEPA, that long-standing mission continues — and this year, it’s bigger than ever.
A Massive Regional Operation
Sgt. Rubalcava oversees one of the largest Toys for Tots chapters in Pennsylvania
The program serves nine counties — Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Potter, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, and Wyoming and works with nearly 100 nonprofits, churches, shelters and community groups. This season alone, those partners have already requested toys for nearly 10,000 children.
“We started this year with about 8,000 leftover toys,” Sgt. Rubalcava said. “And in just a month and a half, we’ve doubled, even tripled, that.” Early in the season, he spent $70,000 on gifts to get ahead of the demand, with community drives, foundations and donated inventory filling in the rest.
Right now, he estimates about 20,000 toys are already in-house — and that’s before most donation boxes are returned. And they’ll need every last one.
Organizations like Catholic Social Services, Friends of the Poor, The Salvation Army and dozens of parishes depend on Toys for Tots to stock their holiday programs. Friends of the Poor and Catholic Social Services alone will help about 5,000 children this year.
Children 10 and under each receive three gifts, while older kids get two, along with books, stuffed animals and stocking stuffers. It all adds up quickly — especially at the scale this chapter supports.
“Whether it’s a cash donation or their employees bringing toys, we accept it all and we appreciate it greatly. We wouldn’t be able to do this without the community. We just facilitate it, but in reality, the community is the one doing this.”
Rethinking How Toys Reach Kids
In the past, the Wyoming branch hosted large distribution events for individual families
This year looks different. “We’re very short on staff,” Sgt. Rubalcava explained. “Most of our volunteers are older, and a lot of them couldn’t come back this year.” With Marines juggling their regular duties, organizing thousands of individual pickups just wasn’t possible.
So the team switched to bulk distribution this year. They’ll now send large orders directly to partner nonprofits, who handle registration and distribution for families in their communities. The shift allows them to move faster, reach more kids and support more organizations than ever.
“We’re helping out almost 100 nonprofits this year,” he said. “Last year it was maybe 30 or 40.”
Community Events Make the Difference
While collection boxes are the most familiar part of Toys for Tots, events, both big and small, often make the largest impact
“A lot of people think it’s just the boxes,” he said. “But when the community holds events, the community comes together.” Youth football games, transit authority drives, school fundraisers, the Lions Club Stuff the Truck and Stuff the Bus events at Walmart all bring in thousands of toys in a single day. These donations are invaluable.
“As I tell everyone, toys sitting in here don’t help anyone. I’m trying to make sure there are more toys out there than in here.”
One area Sgt. Rubalcava is especially passionate about is reaching teenagers — often the most overlooked group. “The community’s going to take care of the little ones,” he said. “I’m going to take care of the older kids.” This year, he stocked up on pallets of makeup, cologne, bags and accessories to make sure teens aren’t left out.
The Volunteers Who Make It Possible
Among the pallets and stacks of boxes, a dedicated group of volunteers helps keep everything organized
One of them is Lisa Solarczyk of Pittston, a Marine veteran who has been volunteering with Toys for Tots for nearly 15 years. “I come as often as they come,” she said. “I help with receiving and sorting toys by age group.”
When asked why she keeps returning year after year, she didn’t hesitate. “It makes me feel good knowing you’re helping kids who may not have a Christmas.”
Volunteers sign up through the Toys for Tots website, and Sgt. Rubalcava personally reaches out to each one. “It’s just me,” he says. “I’m on 24-hour standby. Whenever someone wants to work, I’ll be here.”
A Mission That Never Stops
For Sgt. Rubalcava and the Marines he works with, Toys for Tots isn’t a seasonal project
It’s something they pour themselves into. “This is a no-fail mission,” he said. “Nothing is going to stop this mission from being complete. It never ends.”
Even during government shutdowns or the height of COVID-19, Toys for Tots never paused. The work always continued. Running a nine-county operation while serving full-time active duty is a lot to manage, but to him, the impact makes it worth it.
“There are times in the military you’re not sure if you’re helping,” he said. “But with this, you see the gifts you’re giving. You see kids smiling. You know you’re doing right.”
How NEPA Can Help
Community support is at the heart of Toys for Tots. Residents can donate new, unwrapped toys, contribute cash that the Marines are able to stretch impressively far, or volunteer their time. Businesses and groups can help by hosting collection bins or organizing toy drives and events. Every toy, every donation, helps make the season brighter.
As Sgt. Rubalcava emphasizes, “We just facilitate it, but in reality, the community is the one doing this.”
Connect with Marine Corps Toys for Tots
To learn more about Marine Corps Toys for Tots in NEPA — including how to donate, volunteer, or support their mission — visit their website. From hosting a toy drive to dropping off a new, unwrapped gift, there are plenty of ways to help brighten a child’s holiday. Every bit of support makes a difference for local families.
