About Toys for Tots Toys for Tots is national in scope and is conducted throughout the nation’s communities.   It is a Marine Corps program, organized and administered by Marine Forces Reserve in New Orleans.   While Marine Forces Reserve exercises centralized command authority over Toys for Tots, execution of the program is decentralized, occurring over countless communities across the nation, under the direction and supervision of our dispersed Marine Corps Reserve units.   The Toys for Tots Foundation is a private, non-profit organization, created solely to assist and support the Marine Corps with the Toys for Tots Program.   The Foundation is a tax exempt, public charity, under section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.   The Toys for Tots program began in 1947 in Los Angeles, CA, with the efforts of Major Bill Hendricks who, noticing there was no charity which distributed toys to disadvantaged children during the Christmas season, collected and distributed more than 7,000 toys to children in the Los Angeles area.   The Toys for Tots logo was personally designed by Mr. Walt Disney in 1948.   The Toys for Tots Program has grown significantly over the years with more than 37.5 million toys distributed in the past four years alone. Over 222 million toys have been distributed since the program’s inception.   As Marines, we believe that one of our core values, “commitment” in service to national defense begins at home, in our communities. Toys for Tots is conducted in more than 200 communities across the nation – it is a program conducted in the community, with the active involvement, help and support of the community, for the benefit of the community. The program’s success is a direct result of the involvement of caring people and dedicated Marines. There are an estimated 14 million disadvantaged children in the United States living in poverty, deserving of the heartfelt holiday joy experienced by receiving a gift. Our program has grown from 7,000 toys in 1947 to more than 12 million. As a result, we were able to touch the hearts of about 5 million of these needy children. As you can see, much remains to be done, and we are committed to doing our part.