Drive slows down

It may be the season of giving, but so far, many people aren’t.

Because of hard times or perhaps because the message hasn’t gotten out, holiday toy drives throughout the city are reporting trouble in the toy box. If more people don’t donate, charity workers say needy kids might not have much of a Christmas.

Costa Mesa public education specialist Brenda Emrick found only four toys inside a toy drop-off box at one Costa Mesa fire station Thursday morning.

At the Newport Beach fire station next to Fashion Island, firefighters had collected just about a box full, only the size of a trash can.

“It was not nearly this bad last year,” Emrick said Thursday. With only weeks left before Christmas, firefighters countywide and other nonprofit organizations collecting toys for needy children this year are fearing they may fall woefully short.

“They often say people are more generous during hard times, so we’re kind of looking for that [this] year,” said Jennifer Schulz, Newport Beach Fire Department spokeswoman.

The Westside Branch of the Boys & Girls Club, which meets at Rea Elementary School, has more than 250 students who have done their homework regularly enough to earn presents from their toy drive. But Director of Operations Steve Lampron fears there may not be enough donors to cover them all if more don’t come forward.

“A few places are going to help us, but they’re not really sure how much,” he said. “Why we’re concerned is that we have more families this year. Our numbers have been through the roof, with the economy the way it is.”

The program is crucial to keep less fortunate kids motivated, he said. It gives them something to look forward to throughout months of schoolwork.

“Sometimes people forget that the reason Christmas is magical for kids is that they get something special, something they couldn’t get any other time of year,” he said.

Those interested in helping out the Boys & Girls Club toy drive can call Lampron at (949) 631-7724, or e-mail [email protected].

In late November, Newport-Mesa firefighters joined firefighters across Southern California in the annual “Spark of Love” toy drive, the only toy drive organized specifically with local fire departments. Every fire department in the county has a box for people to leave new, unwrapped gifts for kids in. Gift cards are accepted and usually work for older children, officials said.

Nonprofit organizations in Newport-Mesa alone are placing orders for more than 5,500 toys for needy children, fire department officials said.

Last year, Spark of Love distributed 300,000 toys to Orange County children alone. Every Christmas the effort joins with other toy drives, such as the Toys for Tots drive, which works with the Marine Corps. In the days leading up to the holiday all the local efforts will ship their toys to a single warehouse in Torrance, where they’ll be redistributed to needy children on Christmas Day.

“Just a small amount, if you can do it, is going to make some kid smile on Christmas day,” Emrick said.

MICHAEL ALEXANDER may be reached at (714) 966-4618 or at michael.alexander@latimes. com. JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at [email protected].