As guests entered BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse on December 6th, for the annual Military Toy Drive party, they were pleasantly surprised. As they walked past the display tables filled with all the toys purchased or donated to this toy drive, they were delighted by the overwhelming number of toys on those tables. There were dolls, trucks, stuffed animals, cars, basketballs, bicycles, footballs, soccer balls, tea sets, miscellaneous games, bike helmets, robots, Lego sets, and everything in between. La Mesa Chamber members, friends and sponsors came together to celebrate the strength of our community in support of our families living in La Mesa military housing. The Chamber has a strong belief that being a leader within a community includes giving back and making a difference.
This is the 8th year that we have assisted these children and their families. We are honored to partner with the following sponsors who helped make this happen: Presenting Sponsor, EDCO, joined by Supporting Sponsors – Kirk Paving, Inc., Amanda Hammett Insurance & Financial Services – State Farm, Cabrillo Credit Union and Union Bank. A grand total of over 620 toys, books and other items were purchased and collected to make the holidays a little brighter for these families. This project is done in partnership with Liberty Military Housing, the group that manages military housing throughout the nation and host holiday events for over 2,000 military children in our region.
We thank everyone who participated in this project to make it another success. Our special thanks to the men and women of the La Mesa Police Department who donated over 200 toys to our project and to the dedicated volunteers who assisted that evening.
Photos courtesy of Sandra Small/ Photographer and Eviezphotography.com.