Toys for Tots of Randolph County helping more than 650 children

In what's become an annual occurrence, the large hall of the VFW Kaskaskia Post 3553 in Chester was filled with toys of all shapes and sizes on Friday.
Toys for Tots of Randolph County, thanks to donations, will help 655 disadvantaged children in the county have a brighter Christmas this year. That is down from 747 in 2016.
Toys were to be distributed Sunday.
"That shows the economy's picked up," said John Preston, assistant Toys for Tots coordinator for Randolph County, of the smaller number this year.
Preston added that the upcoming Cops and Kids at Christmas - which is scheduled for Dec. 17 at Chester Wal-Mart and is a collaboration between the Randolph County Sheriff's Office and Chester, Steeleville and Red Bud police departments - could also have an effect on the fewer amount of children.
Preston said 30 percent of the children are from Sparta, 20 percent from Chester and 10 percent from Red Bud. The remaining 40 percent are scattered around the county, with 266 families in total being helped.
Children through age 12 who attend school in the county are eligible for the program. The Steeleville, Percy, Cutler and Willisville area represents the largest distribution of toys with 48 children to be helped.
In addition to a toy, all children will receive an age-appropriate book, family game and crayons.
"We have had a very good year," Preston said. "Donations have done very well for us."
Preston explained that 97 cents of every dollar donated to Toys for Tots goes to benefit the children, with the remaining 3 cents spent on advertising costs.
"There's no salaries that come out of that," Preston said.
On Dec. 19, a handmade John Deere rocking tractor - built and donated to Toys for Tots by Dale Grott, of Chester - will be raffled off.
"The community has been very giving to the organization," Preston said.