CLEARWATER, Fla. — They sacrifice their families and their lives to protect us, so during the holidays, there is a non-profit organization working hard to give back in thanks. They call themselves Operation Toy Soldier.
From Barbie dolls to sports equipment, dozens of volunteers packed up thousands of toys at Veterans Funeral Care in Clearwater Tuesday. All of them will be delivered to MacDill Air Force Base to military families in need this holiday season.
“Other than your wedding day, I don’t know how you can be any happier. We always drive home, back to Clearwater, our hearts are full, and it feels like Christmas,” said founder Jim Rudolph.
Rudolph’s father was in the Army. He knows firsthand the challenges service members face when it comes to putting presents under the tree.
“They’re deployed, they’re serving; we all know you don’t make any money when you are in the military,” said Rudolph.
So in 2015, Rudolph started the non-profit organization Operation Toy Soldier.
“It’s such a joyous charity; we aren’t asking for money, we’re asking for a toy,” said Rudolph.
Last year the community donated more than 4,000 toys, and this year, they’re still counting. All the toys will be brought to a hangar on the base this weekend.
“They actually set up the tables, boys under age 10, girls age 12,” said Rudolph. “One whole table full of Barbie dolls, then they had another table full of sports equipment, so literally the young married couples on base can come through and do shopping if you will.”
Many of these volunteers are veterans themselves. They said sometimes even our bravest and toughest need a little Christmas magic.
“During the holidays the job doesn’t stop, so we’re still working, we’re still deployed, and it can be extremely hard to provide a good Christmas for your family,” said veteran volunteer Todd Post.
“You know how it is when you are a kid when you really want something, so hopefully, this will fill that need for these families,” said volunteer Gina Fisher with North Pinellas Women’s Club.
As for Rudolph, he said with a last name like his, he guesses it was just meant to be that he’d help deliver toys this time of year.
