Capital Region Toys for Tots Drive-Thru Collection, presented by Dunkin’ and Albany County, to take place on November 7 and 14
Dunkin’ continues support of holiday program with $30,000 donation bringing total contribution to Capital Region Toys for Tots to $350,000 since 2009
Clifton Park, NY; – Capital Region Toys for Tots today announced a new initiative in partnership with Dunkin’ and Albany County to ensure children throughout upstate New York receive gifts during a holiday season challenged by the ongoing global health pandemic.
The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, the founders of the annual Toys for Tots campaign, will partner with Dunkin’ and Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy to organize and host two drive-thru toy collection events to support the upcoming holiday season. The socially-distanced toy drives will take place at the Albany County Hockey Facility, 830 Albany Shaker Road, on Saturday, November 7 and Saturday, November 14 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In addition to its support of the new drive-thru toy collection, Dunkin’ kicked off the 2020 edition of the Capital Region Toys for Tots campaign by announcing a $30,000 donation to the program. The donation will fund the purchase of new toys for children in need. The donation brings Dunkin’s total support of the Toys for Tots campaign to $350,000 over the past 12 years.
“The coronavirus pandemic has put tremendous financial strain on families heading into the holidays,” said Marine Gunnery Sgt. (Ret.) Albert Roman, local coordinator of the Capital Region Toys for Tots campaign. “We thank our longtime partner Dunkin’ and Albany County Executive McCoy for their support, vision and dedication to bringing toys to children in need during this unprecedented holiday season. The enormous generosity of Dunkin’ and many other local partners will help us deliver cheer to thousands of children throughout upstate New York.”
The collection drives will provide Capital Region residents with the opportunity to donate new, unwrapped toys for distribution to children in need from the safety of their vehicles. Dunkin’ will help spread holiday cheer by offering a complimentary $5 Dunkin’ card and 10-pack of holiday munchkins to each vehicle which donates a new, unwrapped toy on November 7 and 14.
The Capital Region Toys for Tots holiday collection drive, which has traditionally included drop-offs at Dunkin’ restaurants and dozens of other businesses throughout the area, is being reimagined this year due to continued health and safety concerns related to COVID-19.
“This has been a challenging year. So many families have been impacted and Albany County wants to help as many children as possible have a brighter holiday. That’s why we’ve joined forces with the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Campaign and Dunkin’ to collect new, unwrapped toys this holiday season,” said Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy. “Last year, Capital Region Toys for Tots distributed toys to nearly 200,000 local children. We anticipate that number may be even bigger this year and I encourage you to drop off a toy at the Albany County Hockey Facility during one of our drive-thru drop offs. Your gift will help children in our community.”
“Dunkin’ is honored to once again support the efforts of the Marines, who are the driving force behind the Toys for Tots campaign. We are thrilled to partner with these heroes and Albany County to spearhead a brand-new collection drive which allows us to support the children in our communities,” said Eric Stensland, field marketing manager for Dunkin’. “Bringing joy to children is a goal Dunkin’ strives to accomplish throughout the year and especially during the holidays. We encourage all of our guests in the Capital Region to come join us and donate a toy this holiday season.”
The drive-thru toy collections will ring in the season of giving with festive holiday music from local radio station B-95.5 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day.
Today’s announcement took place at the Marine Secure Warehouse in Clifton Park. The warehouse was donated by the Wayne Wagner family to serve as the home of the Capital Region Toys for Tots program. Capital Region Toys for Tots is partnering with Quick Response to clean and sanitize both the warehouse and all toys collected prior to distribution.
The Toys for Tots Foundation receives additional support from a number of companies and organizations throughout the greater Capital Region, including Alpin Haus, Auto Solutions, Destination Auto Group, Mohawk Honda, Mohawk Chevrolet, iHeart Media, Robert’s Towing & Recovery, SEFCU, Seymour’s Motorized Sports, Sondra’s Fine Jewelry, Flowrite, Clifton Park Halfmoon EMS, Albany County Sheriff’s Office and the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office.
Capital Region Toys for Tots serves 14 counties across upstate New York, including: Albany, Broome, Clinton, Essex, Fulton, Franklin, Hamilton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Washington and Warren. The holiday campaign operates annually from October 1 through December 23.
Capital Region Toys for Tots and the Marine Corps Reserve will work with 200 community agencies across the state to serve more than 200,000 children this holiday season.
To learn more about Dunkin’, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com or subscribe to the Dunkin’ blog to receive notifications at https://news.dunkindonuts.com/blog.
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About Dunkin’
Founded in 1950, Dunkin’ is America’s favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin’ is a market leader in the hot regular/decaf/flavored coffee, iced regular/decaf/flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin’ has earned a No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for 14 years running. The company has more than 13,100 restaurants in 41 countries worldwide. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin’ is part of the Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.
About Capital Region Toys for Tots
The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Capital Region Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys each year and distribute those toys as holiday gifts to needy children in its 14-county operating area. The Capital Region Toys for Tots Campaign was previously selected as the 2018 US Marine Corps Toys for Tots National Campaign of the Year. Capital Region Toys for Tots and the Marine Corps Reserve annually works with 200 community agencies across the state to serve more than 200,000 children. For more information, visit www.capitalregiontoysfortots.org.