The Vernon Fire Department and Vernon Social Services are again working to ensure all Vernon families have a happy holiday season by assisting with gifts. Your donations can help that effort.
The fire department’s Toys for Tikes program collects new toys to distribute to children who are infants through age 12.
The Vernon Social Services Department collects gift cards for teens aged 13 to 17.
All children must be Vernon residents.
“Vernon is a community that cares about its own and always steps up to ensure all of our children have a great holiday,” Vernon Mayor Dan Champagne said. “Every time I join our volunteer firefighters on toy delivery night, I am stunned by the generosity of our residents. They always come through for kids.”
The fire department will collect unwrapped toys. Firefighters will distribute toy collection boxes around Vernon the week of Nov. 17. They will be at Town Hall, the Vernon Police Department, the Rockville Public Library, the Vernon Senior Center, Vernon Center Middle School, the five elementary schools and several businesses. Monetary donations are also accepted and can be sent to the Vernon Volunteer Firefighters Association, P.O. Box 951, Vernon, CT 06066.
Vernon Social Services is providing gift cards for older children and asks that they be purchased in $25 increments from stores that will be accessible to local families, such as Kohl’s, T.J. Maxx and Walmart.
Families with children aged 13 to 17 can sign up for gift cards by calling Vernon Social Services at 860-870-3661, ext. 9. The deadline to signup is Dec. 11.
People who would like to sign their children up for the Toys for Tikes program can use an online form, https://forms.gle/5KZBtWJjgUSGihfa8, or call 860-870-3670 during town hall business hours. (This is a new process this year.) Families need to sign up by Dec. 15.
The fire department will deliver toys between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 22 and families must be home to receive the toys.
All families are screened through the Vernon Public Schools to ensure they live in Vernon, and can only sign up for one program.