Delaware Natural Resources Police Kick Off Holiday Toy Drive

Sgt. Rebecca Salmon, Delaware Natural Resources Police Environmental Crimes Unit, delivers toys for last year’s Toys for Tots campaign. Donation boxes for this year’s campaign will be in place by Nov. 3 to accept donated toys for holiday gifts to underprivileged children statewide. /DNREC photo

 

Officers to Collect Toy Donations for Less Fortunate Kids

With the holiday season just around the corner, the Delaware Natural Resources Police will begin collecting toys on Friday, Nov. 3. These toys will be distributed as gifts to children in local communities through the local branch of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program.

The Toys for Tots program collects new, unwrapped toys appropriate for children of all ages and distributes them as holiday presents to underprivileged kids in communities across the country. DNRP officers from each of the three units – Fish and Wildlife, Environmental Crimes Unit, and State  Parks – are once again leading this holiday effort.

Toys will be accepted through Sunday, Dec. 10 in Kent and Sussex counties and through Wednesday, Dec. 8 in New Castle County. Toys can be taken to the following drop-off locations with Toys for Tots donation boxes:

  • All Delaware State Park offices statewide, including the Brandywine Zoo in Wilmington and the First State National Historical Park in New Castle County, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Delaware Natural Resources Police office in Sussex County at 23530 Campbell Circle, Georgetown, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, or for the dates and locations of upcoming events where toys also can be donated, contact officers listed below from the three Delaware Natural Resources Police units:

General information can be found at toysfortots.org. Or, the public can also go online to make monetary donations in Delaware.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson, Joanna.Wilson@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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DNREC’s Natural Resources Police deliver 585 toys to U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program

Pictured aboard Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Marine Patrol vessel Alpha, are Fish & Wildlife Officer Billy Adkins (in back); Environmental Crimes Unit’s Lt. John McCarty; Delaware State Parks’ Cpl. Andrew Manning and Lt. Bryan John; Fish & Wildlife Chief Drew Aydelotte and Sgt. Brooke Mitchell; ECU Officer Rebecca Schuman; Fish & Wildlife Lt. Casey Zolper; and special guest Santa Claus (Fish & Wildlife Cpl. Josh Hudson), with K-9 Officer Rosco. DNREC photo/Shauna McVey.

DOVER – After a statewide gift-giving campaign throughout the holiday season, DNREC Natural Resources Police units from Delaware State Parks, the Division of Fish & Wildlife, and the Division of Community Affairs’ Environmental Crimes Unit have delivered 585 toys to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program in Delaware to provide gifts for less fortunate children in local communities for the holidays.

“Toys for Tots ensures that less fortunate children can awaken to presents in this season of giving, and I am proud that DNREC’s three Natural Resources Police units stepped up to make that a reality for hundreds of Delaware families,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “Thanks to the dedication of Cpl. Andrew Manning of our Parks Natural Resources Police and all the other officers who took part in this campaign, DNREC has helped make a difference.”

The three Natural Resources Police units placed Toys for Tots donation boxes in locations statewide, including DNREC offices and state parks, to collect new, unwrapped toys suitable for boys and girls of all ages.

In Sussex County Dec. 13, DNREC Natural Resources Police officers met Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Marine Patrol vessel Alpha at the Indian River Marina to pick up toys collected from six Sussex donation locations and deliver them to the Sussex Toys for Tots facility. They collected 315 toys, which will be among those distributed to children in 1,038 Sussex families.

A total of 270 toys collected in Kent and New Castle counties were delivered Dec. 16 to the Dover Toys for Tots facility for distribution. The Kent County facility is serving more than 1,200 children, with a waiting list.

Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.