DEPUTIES STILL NEED MORE TOYS.

Byline: Posted by Carol Rock valleynews.com user

Christmas will be brighter for needy families in the area since the second annual Santa Clarita Valley Holiday Storefront opened Thursday to distribute the thousands of toys collected during the 16th annual SCV Sheriff's Toy Drive.

The storefront, located at 23920 Valencia Blvd., Suite 100, in Valencia, has already given out 2,500 toy vouchers to needy families who would otherwise not be able to provide holiday gifts for their families. Families who receive vouchers receive them from the schools their children attend or from a number of service organizations in the Santa Clarita Valley, including the Newhall Community Center, the SCV Food Pantry, the Child and Family Center and the local Department of Social Services.

Each family is allowed to pick out three toys per child and pays $1 for each toy to ``pay it forward'' and help support future holiday storefronts. According to event organizers, the beauty of the toy store allow families to pick and choose what is age-appropriate for their kids as well as picking out toys they would enjoy.

This year's holiday toy store is open through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those wanting further information may contact Deputy Laurie Baylis at [phone]. ``Once again, the community has given from their hearts and pocketbooks to provide gifts for those who would otherwise not be able to afford holiday gifts for their families,'' said Baylis, who is organizing the event. ``Volunteers have decorated the storefront with a Christmas tree towering in the foyer and office windows painted with snowmen and stockings, ornaments hang from the ceiling and shelves are loaded with dolls, tea sets, art kits, models, trucks, footballs, board games, action figures and coloring books -- toys all donated by local residents, businesses and students from local elementary, junior high and high schools.''

The SCV sheriff's toy drive is in its 16th year. People would drop toys off at the station and they would be stored in any available space within the building, then delivered around the community one or two days before Christmas. In 2004, the department delivered 500 bags of toys (5,000 toys) to local families in need and in 2005, the first holiday storefront distributed 8,000 toys to hundreds of SCV needy families.

The storefront solves both the storage and delivery dilemmas. Parents register at one of the four nonprofit organizations that combine data in an effort to make distribution more equitable. This also allows parents to choose what kind of gifts their children receive, making gift-giving much more personal because parents truly shop for their own children. ``While we are doing well with toy collections, we still need items for infants and teenagers. That's always the age groups where we run short of gifts,'' Baylis said.

Those wishing to contribute toys by this weekend may do so by dropping them off at A to Z Transmission, the Valencia Autospa, Mission Valley Bank, Legacy Real Estate Group, Beads N Other Things, Bank of Santa Clarita, Dream Dinners, Copycat Copy Center, Forrest Engineering, The Ice Station, Keller-Williams Real Estate, Mountasia Family Fun Center, Newhall Land, Panera Bread, Power Honda, Remember When Scrapbooking, Valencia Carwash, Western Bagel, Gymnastics Unlimited, City of Santa Clarita, Realty Executives and the SCV Sheriff Station.

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no caption (Santa Claus with a child)