Top US Toy Store Teams with Marines to Donate Holiday Presen

 

By Faiza Elmasry

The weeks leading up to Christmas make up the busiest shopping season of the year, especially for toys. But there are millions of children whose families can't afford a shopping trip to the toy store. So, since 1948, Marine¹ Corps² Reserve Units throughout the nation have collected and distributed toys to needy³ kids.  This year, the nation's largest toy store chain is helping⁴ to sponsor the Toys for Tots campaign. 
 
In the wintertime, Toys “R” Us is full of shoppers of all ages and some are not thinking only about buying for themselves. "Every time I give some kids some toys, I feel very happy," says one child at a Toys "R" Us location in Fairfax, Virginia. "I feel proud for donating money to poor kids because they have nothing and we should thank God that we have these things,” another adds.  "Making others happy would make me also happy. I feel like very good inside," says another young shopper, getting into the spirit of the season.
 
"We're actually taking live donations in the store on the weekends with Marines manning our donation bins⁵ at the front of the store," says store manager Norm Mehta. "We're also doing a donation program at our register lanes where, through a register slip, the person can donate one, five, ten dollars or any amount of money. That money will directly go to Toys for Tots."
 
The 2004 Toys for Tots campaign that began in November will run through January 7. Mr. Mehta says public participation⁶, so far, is very promising⁷.  "We've raised almost $3,200 in donations from our customers just in two and one-half weeks," he says. "It's very cute, oftentimes, when the children get involved. So they learn about sharing and giving and things like that. The parents also like to demonstrate that. And we've been very fortunate that our guests in this area are very supportive to the program."
 
Toys "R" Us spokeswoman Nicole Patzer is especially pleased that children are getting involved in the campaign.  “That's so important," she says. "We've been encouraging people to bring their kids inside the store and teach them to pick out a new and unwrapped toy that they would like to give to a needy child. One of the things that's so rewarding for us at Toys "R" Us is that we receive that handwritten thank-you card from a young child just saying. 'Thank you so much. You've just made this holiday season better for me.'"
 
Toys "R" Us has already donated a million dollars worth of toys to the campaign, according to Toys for Tots spokesman Gunnery Sergeant⁸ Rubio. "The Marines are very excited to be involved with Toys "R" US," he says. "It's a great partnership⁹. It's basically a dream team! We want to beat last year's goal of 15 million toys. And we think we're going to do that."
 
That's a far cry from the 5,000 toys collected in the first toy drive, more than 50 years ago.  But what has not changed is the campaign's mission: to make the Christmas holiday happier for children in need.
注释：
sponsor 赞助
tot 小孩，儿童
bin 箱柜
pick out 挑选
mission 使命

1 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

3 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 bins   

n.大储藏箱( bin的名词复数 )；宽口箱（如面包箱，垃圾箱等）v.扔掉，丢弃( bin的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Garbage from all sources was deposited in bins on trolleys. 来自各方的垃圾是装在手推车上的垃圾箱里的。 来自辞典例句
• Would you be pleased at the prospect of its being on sale in dump bins? 对于它将被陈列在倾销箱中抛售这件事，你能欣然接受吗？ 来自辞典例句

6 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

7 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

8 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

9 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。