Memphians make the season bright with toy drive donations
James O'Toole, development specialist for Porter-Leath, accepts a toy donation Thursday, Dec. 5. Porter-Leath is hosting its annual Toy Truck drive, which will take place throughout the next three weeks. (Julia Baker/The Daily Memphian)
Around 2,000 children in Porter-Leath’s preschool programs will receive some holiday cheer this year when they open donations from the organization’s annual Toy Truck collection.
Despite cold gusts of wind and temperatures that weren’t expected to get above 38 degrees on Thursday, Dec. 5, the toy drive began at 7 a.m. at the Fox 13 Family Focus donation site in front of Cicis Pizza in the Poplar Plaza shopping area.
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A box truck sat in front of the shopping plaza receiving items like toy trucks, baby dolls and educational and gross-motor-skills toys.
Thursday afternoon, Vanessa Smith parked and walked over to deliver toy trucks and educational toys she got in Tipton County.
“When I was little, I didn’t have the toys,” Smith said. “So I just return the favor and give the toys to the children that are in need.”
Porter-Leath has organized the toy drive since 2000 for local children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old enrolled in Porter-Leath preschools.
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Julia Baker
A lifelong Memphian, Julia Baker graduated from the University of Memphis in 2021. Other publications and organizations she has written for include Chalkbeat, Memphis Flyer, Memphis Parent magazine and Memphis magazine.
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