Fareway recently presented a check for more than $328,499 to the U.S. Marine Corps for their holiday Toys for Tots campaign.
The Boone, Iowa-based Fareway accepted monetary and toy donations from Friday, Nov. 24, to Saturday, Dec. 23, at all its grocery store locations, including those in the Quad Cities region.
“Our generous customers continue to go above and beyond to make the annual Toys for Tots campaign a success,” Fareway Senior Vice President of Marketing & Advertising Jeff Stearns said in a news release. “We are so appreciative of their generosity and the partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps, a 29-year relationship of making seasons bright for thousands of children.”
Fareway’s store in Ankeny, Iowa, also participated in a Toys for Tots Tuesday on Dec. 12. So did American Equity in West Des Moines and IBEW 347 in Ankeny. The dropoff brought in nearly 5,646 toys altogether. In addition, a live telethon raised $21,285.
Tots served 10.2 million
In 2023, the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys For Tots campaign served 10.2 million children and distributed more than 25.4 million toys, books and stocking stuffers across the United States.
“Toys for Tots distributes toys and books to millions of less fortunate children each year. We wouldn’t be able to reach so many children were it not for the help received from our corporate partners like Fareway,” Col. Ted “Migs” Silvester, U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation vice president of marketing and development said in the release.
He added: “Their community service goals certainly align with those the Marine Corps has promoted for over seven decades through our Toys for Tots Program. With Fareway’s generous support, Toys for Tots will be able to fulfill the holiday dreams of thousands of less fortunate children year-after-year who otherwise might be forgotten.”
Two Quad Cities area stores were among the Top 10 Fareway locations collecting the highest totals in the Toys For Tots round up: Clinton, Iowa, raised $4,529.64 (seventh) and Davenport, $4,454.01 (eighth). Other top 10 stores, all in Iowa, included: Norwalk (first); West Des Moines (second); Council Bluffs (third); Polk City (fourth); Ames (fifth); Dubuque (sixth); Urbandale (ninth) and Ankeny (10th).
