Toys for Tots campaign gets big boost from a cop on a roof in Oakboro

Published 3:32 pm Saturday, November 19, 2022

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The annual Toys for Tots campaign, which raises funds and toy donations solely for children in Stanly County, received a big boost Wednesday from an annual Oakboro event.

Oakboro Police Chief T.J. Smith, for the fifth year in a row, climbed the ladder up to the roof of the NAPA Auto Parts store in town to raise awareness and money for the campaign.

Including support from local officials and members of the Marine Corps Foundation, Toys for Tots raised $5,048.38 Wednesday, getting donations from drivers and pedestrians on Main Street. The Marine Corps League Detachment 1021 sponsors the local Toys for Tots.

Smith said he sees each year how Toys for Tots affects the community positively.

He said the benefits apply also to survivors of domestic violence.

“Seeing money from this organization helps these families have a happy Christmas,” he said. “It’s important, with seeing this, that it continues.”

Debbie Pressley, local coordinator for Toys for Tots, said the Cop on a Roof event “puts us over the top and gives us plenty of toys to help out the organizations.”

Pressley said Toys for Tots is expanding the organizations it helps, including helping local schools with toys and books for teachers to give to students.

Because of the past two years with the COVID-19 pandemic, Pressley said boxes in stores are not getting enough donations, which is why events like Wednesday are so important to the cause.

“What’s donated in Stanly County stays in Stanly County,” Pressley said.

About Charles Curcio

Charles Curcio has served as the sports editor of the Stanly News & Press for more than 16 years and has written numerous news and feature storeis as well. He was awarded the NCHSAA Tim Stevens Media Representative of the Year and named CNHI Sports Editor of the Year in 2014. He has also won an award from Boone Newspapers, and has won four North Carolina Press Association awards.

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