NDIA backs marine Toys for Tots Program.

The association is lending its support to the 2003 U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program, said NDIA President Lawrence P. Farrell Jr.

"NDIA is working to raise the awareness of its individual and corporate members as to the programs role in bringing the spirit of hope to needy children at Christmas time," Farrell said.

Toys for Tots is now in its 56th year, according to retired Lt. Gen. Mathew T. Cooper, president and CEO of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. The program began in 1947, when a handful of Marine reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children on Christmas Eve.

The following year, the Marine Corps adopted the concept and expanded it nationwide. In 1991, the foundation was formed as the fund-raising and support organization for the program. Since 1947, Marines have distributed more than 298 million toys to 145 million needy children in 400 communities across the nation, Cooper said.

The 2001 campaign was the second best in the history of the program. The most successful year was 2000, when 15.8 million toys were distributed to 6.3 million children.

Since 1980, Marines have distributed only new toys. Program officials cite three reasons: As U.S. military services shrank, reservists spent more time training and had less to refurbish toys. Second, increasing concerns about toy safety made it legally inadvisable to distribute used toys. Third, the Marines decided that distributing "hand-me-down" toys sent the wrong message to needy children.

To learn more about the Marine Toys for Tots Program, visit the foundation's Web site at www.toysfortots.org.