Chesapeake Bay.com has reported that once again the Maryland Transportation Authority Police and maintenance employees will be supporting the Toys for Tots campaign.

December 11 through December 13 between the hours of 6 a.m. – 9 a.m. and during  the afternoon hours of 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. commuters can donate new unwrapped toys at the Fort McHenry (I-95) and the Baltimore Harbor (I-895) Tunnels.

There will also be a collection point at the Port of Baltimore’s Dundalk Marine Terminal Main Gate. The hours for toy donations at this gate are between 6 a.m. – 9 a.m and again at 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Please note the collection points and times. Toys will only be accepted during the specified times at the drop off points.  Toll lanes are exempted and will not accept donations.

Businesses and organizations in Frederick County are also working to spread holiday cheer by collecting toys for their Toys for Tots campaign.

This holiday season, Hampton Inn and Suites in Frederick , Celebree Learning Center in Spring Ridge, Little Gym of Mount Airy and West Winds Tennis and Fitness Center are participating in the Toys For Tots campaign. Each will be acting as collection points for those who wish to donate new toys to less fortunate children in the Frederick County communities.

The West Winds Tennis and Fitness Center will be hosting a special event for the Toy for Tots campaign on December 13 (6 – 9 p.m.). The event is a social mixer featuring tennis games. This year for the first time there will be Marine personnel at the event to help out.

Toys for Tots was founded in 1947 by Major Bill Henricks, USMCR, along with a group of other Marine Reservists in the Los Angeles , California area. That first year, the Marines distributed about 5,000 toys to less fortunate children. The organization has grown greatly since those early days; now over seven million families are helped annually.

Toys for the Toys for Tots campaign are collected by local businesses and organizations and then distributed to children in the  community by the U.S. Marine Reservists (and volunteers).

The participating businesses and organizations throughout Maryland are hoping that even though many families have made the choice to scale down their Christmas giving this year that the Toys For Tots campaign will be on their gift list.

Give a gift from the heart this Christmas season, give a new (unwrapped) toy to Toys for Tots.

You can find your nearest contact person in Maryland or anywhere in the nation when you visit the Toys For Tots Foundation website (http://toysfortots.org/default.asp). You can also make donations online to the Foundation.