Scouts from Troop 246 provided donations to the Toys for Tots program at the Moraga-Orinda Fire Department on Wednesday, November 30.

The Toys for Tots program was founded in 1947 and is run by the US Marine Corps Reserve. Their mission is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November, and December each year, and distribute them as Christmas gifts to children in the community.

According to scoutmaster David Miller, his troop’s involvement teaches scouts how fortunate they are to have the lifestyles and possessions they have, and teaches them that there are other people who are less fortunate and in need of their assistance.

Junior Kyle Leuteneker, a member of Troop 246, said, “It was really fun and I had a great time giving back to the community because we are very fortunate to live where we live and it’s always nice when you an give back to the less fortunate.”

Each scout brought at least 1 new and unwrapped toy to donate to Toys for Tots, and the group also brought cookies for the firemen. Scouts attendees earned an hour of community service. The troop met for a typical meeting before traveling to the fire department to present the toys.

Junior Karl Lesterhuis said, “It was really fun because we were able to talk to the firemen and it was cool to see our whole troop get involved. I would definitely do it again because it was a humbling experience.”