Braintree Toys for Tots Party This Thursday

Support Toys for Tots at the 4th annual Braintree Christmas Party at the Granite Grill on Thursday, Dec. 12 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. 

Admission is a new, unwrapped for boys or girls ages 3-12.

Gift cards to area stores will be accepted for older children. Food and cash bar will be available. In addition there are several great raffle prizes with proceeds supporting charities that support veterans.  

The committee is in its final push to beat last years goal of 1,500 toys and donations are still needed. The demand for toys is great this year with many requests being made of the program  

“We all know families that are still struggling," Councilor Sean Powers said in a statement. "This Christmas Party is a great way for Braintree to come together to support a great cause."

The annual Christmas party was started four years ago by Mayor Joseph Sullivan, Rep. Mark Cusack and Council President Charles Kokoros as a way to celebrate the holidays while also being apart of the giving of the Christmas season.  

“We know that the people of Braintree will come forward and be very generous with their toy donations," Kokoros said. "They haven’t let us down in the past and were looking forward to a great night."

The committee is grateful to the Granite Grill and staff for the generous donation of food for the party as well as Pat Lally of South Shore Entertainment for providing the evening's music.

“This might be the only chance a family has at giving their children something for Christmas. We hope people come out to support this important annual event,” Julie Canelli said.

For more information Contact the Town Clerk's office at 781-794-8240. 

Toys for Tots begin in 1947 when Major Bill Hendricks, USCR and a group of Marine Reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children, according to the program's website.

In the mid-1990s it was officially sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Defense and expanded to all 50 states. Since its inception, Marines have distributed more than 400 million toys to more than 188 million needy children.