Goodfellows: Antlers vs. Hats makes children the winners
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Jackie Curtis of Pitcairn hands Randy Winslow of Penn Hills a toy as volunteers from CVS Caremark help sort toys for Toys for Tots at Guardian Storage Solutions in the Strip District.
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As rivalries go, Antlers vs. Hats doesn't generate the ferocity of, say, Steelers vs. Ravens.
But the two teams, one wearing decorative holiday antlers and the other in red Santa hats, had a friendly competition last week driven by a common purpose -- to bring Christmas joy to the hearts of underprivileged children.
About 20 employees of the CVS Caremark call center in Monroeville gathered at the Marine Corps Toys for Tots warehouse in the Strip District. They helped sort thousands of toys that will be picked up by more than 100 charitable groups and distributed to needy families by Christmas Day.
"It feels good to be able to provide something to a child who may not have anything on Christmas," said Mandi Steiner of Cadogan, Armstrong County, proud member of the Antlers team, which vied with the Hats to be the most productive in a two-hour volunteer session.
The size of the task facing the Marines from Military Police Company Bravo, based in North Versailles, and the scores of volunteers who visit the warehouse during the holiday season, is evident from a look around.
In space donated by Guardian Storage Solutions are thousands of toys -- dolls, toy trucks and buses, stuffed animals, Play-Doh sets, Fisher-Price gadgets for toddlers, and games, including old favorites like Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders.
"It's really nice to see the amount of stuff that has been donated," Ms. Steiner said.
The Marines start the campaign in early October, aided by donations to the Goodfellows Fund of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Contributions to Goodfellows fuel the Toys for Tots effort that is expected to deliver 150,000 gifts to youngsters this season.
"Every year we do this. We start very early," said Marine Sergeant Philip Elko of Beaver County, who recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
First Published December 13, 2010 12:00 am
