The Toys For Tots Tale  - and our own South-County Santa...
   (as told by Gina Six)

Ken Tougas of Morgan Hill is the local project coordinator for Toys for Tots. Ken works tirelessly from early morning through late evenings each day to provide a toy gift for each child in South County. South County Toys for Tots area encompasses Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy, Hollister, Salinas, & Monterey and all points between.

Mr. Tougas (a retired resident of Morgan Hill) works directly with the Marine Corp headquarters in San Jose. But before you start to think that all the toys collected here go to San Jose you are wrong. All Toys For Tots donations remain here in our community. Mr. Tougas maintains his own warehouse (most coordinators do not) and handles each aspect of the program for South County and beyond.

Donations are usually sparse in our area so each year, Mr. Tougas has to request a "toy buy" from the Marine Corp Reserve unit in San Jose. A toy buy is a request for the main branch to assist Mr. Tougas in fulfilling all the requests for underprivileged children.

Donations are accepted year round, but the major drive begins late November. This year along with several elves Mr. Tougas has increased the barrel placements this year, in hopes that more barrels will equate obviously to more donations.

Last year, toys, which were donated last minute, were distributed that last half-minute. Somehow this man always finds a way to fulfill every request, even when at times it appears there is no way it will happen.

Most people wonder who determines which children receive gifts from Toys For Tots. The determination is based on several aspects. Non-profit organizations, churches and others identify families or children who would otherwise go without. These organizations must go through a process, fill out forms and provide a copy of their 501(c)3 (non-profit) status to qualify for assistance from The Marine Corp Reserve.

Once the organization is verified, they must submit a list of toy requests based on age group and gender of children. Now the fun begins for the Tougas elves…

(The elves are found by Mr. Tougas each year as he makes his way around looking for places willing to place a barrel in their establishment. Some elves have long careers with Ken.)

The elves go through the donated toys, sorting them into age categories, male/female, etc. Once the toys are sorted, the requests come out and orders are filled. As the elves work furiously to fill the toy bags for the organizations, Mr. Tougas is already one step ahead. Here come the organizations to pick up their toy bags, and the first order isn't quite completed yet!

The elves pick up their pace, the charities line up one by one. The vehicles range from little tiny cars that make you wonder how they will get one toy bag into it, to the huge trucks that will haul anything. No matter what the vehicle or order size, it all happens seamlessly. It is like watching the Nutcracker ballet, a symphony of motion, all streamlined to perfection.

As the last car drives away, the elves are ready to run for the spiked eggnog they've hidden in the back room, but the "work" is not over yet. As Mr. Tougas gathers them around, there is one special event left for them to do.

The elves survey what appears to be an excess of toys left over. They're not extras though. They are for a very special event. In Morgan Hill each year, Mr. Tougas organizes his own toy giveaway. Again, families are referred to him by different agencies. Usually parents who are unemployed or their wages are minimal are invited to attend. Each family is pre-registered.

The parents go to a special place where they may "shop" for their children. Now the elves really learn the meaning of giving. Parents cry because of the generosity of so many people who brought this opportunity their way. The genuine thank yous and blessings bestowed upon the elves are simply heart warming, and now even the elves begin to get a little teary eyed. This is the best event of the whole season.

In the corner, taking a moment is Mr. Tougas. As he surveys the scene, he realizes that once again, his Christmas wish has come true and he does have the greatest "job" on earth.