Firefighters toybox serves 267 Whitman County youth

Dec 26, 20190

Anne McRae count

Colfax Volunteer Fire Fighters were contacted by P1FCU, Branch Manager Anne McRae, on Thursday, Dec 19. The volunteers shared they were short gifts for boys and girls tweens and teens. P1FCU, Steve's Glass and staff members donated more than 80 gifts Friday, Dec 20. Firefighters, back row from left, Mirah Young, Mike Hubert and Jake Smith joined Scott Kruse and Colfax Police Officer Joey McCullam, not pictured, at P1FCU to collect the donation. P1FCU staff, front row from left: Anne McRae, Sabrina Mosebar-Craigen and Staci Batterton. Not pictured Jenne Jeske.

Final count of the number of youngsters served by the Firefighters' Toybox was 267 after four days of operation. Fire Chief Craig Corbeill said the total compares with 240 youngsters which were served last year.

Corbeill reported to the city council Dec. 16 that people were lined up as early at 6 a.m. that morning to be able to select toy gifts. The Toybox opened at 8:30 a.m. on the first day.

Chief Corbeill told the city council a volunteer was dispatched Dec. 16 to purchase more toys to stock the store after the first families visited the toybox.

He noted that the volunteers were unable to stretch the donations as far as they have in previous years because of the Shopko shutdown in Pullman. Shopko had allowed the volunteers a big discount on toy prices for the project, and that extended the number of purchases which could be made with the donated funds.

Families who still need toys and were unable to visit the station during the four days this week, can arrange to come to the station and select from among the few toys still in stock.

Shaena Nelson, volunteer storekeeper for the Toybox, said they installed a new system for distribution this year. Previously each family was allowed up to two gifts per child. This year they assigned point values to the toys, and each family could "spend" up to five points. The aim was to keep a better range of selection available over the four days of operation.

Families registered for the Toybox through the Whitman County Health Department.