Operation Homefront: Troop 777 works to bring Christmas cheer to other kids

MOSES LAKE — Members of Boy Scouts of America Troop 777 not only sorted the toys and bagged the toys, they delivered the toys for curbside pickup.

And there were a lot of toys – the troop spent parts of two days sorting and bagging. They were the runners as families drove up to Moses Lake Alliance Church Saturday, taking requests at the curb and delivering the toys to the car.

It was the fourth annual Christmas Toy Giveaway, and the second one time the Scouts have been involved, said Jim Leland, parent of one of the Scouts and an organizer of Operation Homefront.

Operation Homefront is a year-round outreach and assistance project for military veterans, and the toy giveaway started as part of that, Leland said. Operation Homefront works with the Dollar Tree franchise, including the Moses Lake store. Dollar Tree shoppers donate the toys.

Earlier toy drives were so successful, Leland said, that Operation Homefront organizers decided to extend the giveaway to non-military families. And that was where the Scouts came in.

The toy drive produced boxes and boxes full of toys.

“It was a very, very good year,” Leland said. “This year, we’re going to be able to have an impact.”

All of them had to be sorted – toys for little kids, toys for bigger kids, toys for boys, toys for girls. The Scouts sorted them out and packaged them for distribution, a project that involved determining which toys best fit which kids, and packaging just the right combinations of those toys.

“These guys separate (the toys) into categories that make sense,” Leland said.

And yes, the Scouts played with them a little, too. There was a little nostalgia, looking at the toy cars and remembering the times they played with cars when they were kids.

Community service projects like working on a toy drive can earn participants credit in Scouting programs, but the members of Troop 777 did this pretty much for free.

“They’re volunteering their time throughout this whole process,” Leland said.

Troop member Christian Williams explained the Christmas Toy Giveaway.

“Basically, what we’re doing is giving stuff to needy kids,” Williams said.

Troop member Jared Tebow said some families don’t have enough money to buy toys for their kids for Christmas, and the toy giveaway allows the families to have presents on Christmas morning.

“We’re doing it to make kids happy,” Tebow said.

“I want those kids to have something on Christmas,” Leland said, citing his own childhood.

His parents didn’t make a lot of money, but there was always plenty for the kids under the tree on Christmas, he said, and he wanted other kids to have the same experience.

The project also teaches something to the troop members doing the work of sorting, bagging and delivery.

“This is a great way for the Scouts to learn what I consider the meaning of Christmas,” Leland said. “We wanted them to understand this is what the season of giving is all about.”

Any toys left over after the distribution were donated to local churches for continued distribution, he said.

Troop 777 has other projects throughout the year, including a second major service project. The troop collects and distributes school supplies prior to the opening of classes in the fall. Troop member Chance Morris is working on a project to prove a proper resting place for the ashes of worn-out American flags. The troop provided the labor to remove the remains of an old community fence in Mae Valley earlier this year.

“Service to community is the biggest thing of our troop,” Leland said. “They’re phenomenal young men and they’re doing a world of good for this community.”

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.