WORCESTER COUNTY – The 2025 Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Collections is looking to help the Worcester County during the holiday season. For context, they are a national charitable program ran by the USM Reserve that provides children with hope and support through donated gifts. Hopedale resident Tom Beder, a United States Marine Corps Veteran, shared their upcoming collections.
There will be two Hopedale Roadside events taking place, a toy and monetary collection center to support children in need.
One of these collections will take place on Saturday, November 29th at the Cumberland Farms Intersection (Route 16 in Hopedale) from 10:15 AM to 2 PM. Boy scouts, Mr. & Mrs. Claus, and U.S marines will be in attendance to pick up donated toys.
The other Roadside Collection will occur on Saturday, December 6th at the Hopedale Police Station from 12 to 4 PM, in collaboration with the Hopedale Winter Stroll.
Monetary donations will be turned into toys, alongside the toys that were donated from the Worcester County Drives. All the toys will then be distributed to marines across the Worcester County.
According to Beder, those who cannot attend the Roadside Collections can still drop off toys at the Hopedale Police and Fire Departments at any time. The last day to drop off a toy will be Wednesday, December 10th at 5 PM.
Beder has led the charge for Toys for Tots in the Worcester County.
Growing up in Hopedale, Beder has stressed the importance of giving back to his local community, as “it just feels like the right thing to do”, according to Beder. “It’s now time to be a community leader [after being honorably discharged] … there should be more people volunteering”.
For more information regarding collection events, volunteer opportunities, or to request a toy, people are recommended to visit Worcester County’s Toys for Tots website.
