Since the Toys for Tots program began in 1947, Marine Corps Reserve Units have collected over 400 million toys and distributed those toys to more than 189 million children. Fans attending select Red Wings home games in November and/or early December each year are asked to bring new toys for less fortunate children in the Metro Detroit area. The Wings’ partnership with Toys for Tots began in the early 1990s and has collected thousands of toys and cash donations since its inception.
The Red Wings have collected more than 630 toys and $16,450 in monetary donations for the Toys for Tots program over the last three seasons. A recap of the team's 2011 in-game collections can be read by clicking here.
According to the Kids Count in Michigan 2007 study, 45.8% of children ages 0-17 in Detroit live in poverty compared to that of the Michigan rate of 19.3%. One of Toys for Tots program’s primary goal is to “send a message of hope for the future to needy children” and the Red Wings are happy to partner with Toys for Tots to do just that for the deserving kids in the Detroit area.
