This last holiday season, instead of collecting toys in our shops as we have in the past, we asked members to bring toys to the holiday membership meeting to donate for our annual Teamster Toy Drive.

Members responded in a big way, donating a huge number of toys, gift cards, and even some cash.

“We were overwhelmed with joy on the response," said Marcus Williams, Local 117 Business Representative.

Thanks to the generosity of our members, 21 families received toys, providing 52 children with a little more to enjoy over the holidays!

We had such a great response from our members that we ended up with many leftover toys that still needed homes. We started researching other organizations that could help distribute the toys, and we decided on an organization called Treehouse.

Treehouse supports children in foster care going through the separation from their families, teachers, friends, neighbors, coaches and everyone else they know and love. Children new to the foster care system can come to the Treehouse store and shop for free for clothes, toys, and many other items that are donated from other organizations and community members.

For more information about Treehouse, visit www.TreehouseForKids.org.

“My mother was raised in foster care from ages 6 to 11 before she was reunited with her family,” said Local 117 President John Scearcy. “It would have made a big difference for her if there was an organization like Treehouse around.”

The arm of this Union reaches long and touches many lives, in many communities. Be proud of that!