Philadelphia’s generosity sparks Metro Magic

One of the hundreds of children we were able to help last year unwraps a gift
donated by a Metro reader.

Christmas carols have begun inside malls, green and red lights have started popping up on some houses and generous Philadelphians have begun donating in earnest to our Metro Magic holiday gift drive.

By the middle of last week, dozens of Metro readers already clicked on the drive’s logo on our websitte and picked out a gift that U.S. Marines from the local Toys for Tots charity will eventually pick up in December.

Staff Sgt. Ricky Wilson, who runs the Toys for Tots based in Folsom that collects gifts every holiday season for poor children in Delaware County and Philadelphia, will come to Metro’s Center City office next month to collect what we’re hoping will by then become a massive pile of hundreds of gifts.

Started last year by employees in Metro’s New York City offices, Metro Magic was so successful it was expanded this year to the newspaper company’s Philadelphia and Boston offices.

Tot’s history

Toys for Tots started in 1947, when a group of U.S. Marine reservists got together and cleaned up small toys and gave them away to needy families. Now, it’s one of the biggest nonprofits in the nation
Toys for Tots works by giving away the toys they collect to other nonprofits in the greater Philadelphia region.

Last year, they got 600 requests from charities to receive toys and have drop-off boxes set up throughout the city.