GEORGETOWN — Acting Chief Chuck Savage is very pleased to announce that, thanks to the generous spirit of residents and the business community, Georgetown firefighters collected a total of 3,539 toys for Toys for Tots during the holiday season.
On Sunday, Dec. 4, members of the Fire Department, accompanied by Santa, drove through the streets of Georgetown collecting new toys from residents for the 27th annual Santa Tour. They covered more than 65 miles of road during the course of 11 hours.
Approximately 3,000 toys were collected during the tour. The Department also collected 46 bicycles donated by the Donahue family of North Street and members of the Church of Latter-Day Saints in Georgetown. Many residents also chose to drop toys directly off at the Fire Department throughout the month.
The tour was supported by nearly 70 volunteers including members of Georgetown Police, Georgetown Highway, Georgetown Schools, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and G. Mello Disposal. Georgetown Fire thanks Freedom Pest Control — the event’s premier sponsor — for providing sweatshirts to all volunteers, Georgetown Cafe for providing volunteers breakfast, the Morrison Family and Olympia Kennels for lunch, as well as Levia and the Cheesecake Factory of Peabody for dinner and dessert.
“Each year, I become more and more proud of our small community’s overwhelming generosity during this beloved tradition,” Acting Chief Savage said. “I extend a sincere thank you to all the residents, businesses and volunteers for all they did to support this wonderful initiative. Their kindness undoubtedly made a positive impact on a child in need this holiday season.”
Santa has visited Georgetown since the mid-1990s accompanied by Georgetown Fire Department vehicles and greeting children and their parents for the Santa Tour. Georgetown Fire began collecting toys during the tour to benefit Toys for Tots, a foundation started by the U.S. Marine Corps, in 2000.
Georgetown Fire is the largest supplier of toys for the Toys for Tots Foundation in Essex County. Over the years, the Department has collected nearly 80,000 toys for children who might otherwise go without a gift on Christmas.
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