Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) employees have come together to collect an entire semi-truck trailer full of gifts for Toys for Tots, a nationwide, not-for-profit organization that collects and distributes toys to families in need during the holidays.

Each year, FRCE employees help make the holidays brighter for children in the Eastern North Carolina community by donating new, unwrapped toys for children who might not otherwise receive gifts. For many members of the workforce, December is a special time of year as they look forward to donating to the Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots Program.

The program’s goal is to spread the joy of Christmas by making sure children have presents under their Christmas tree on Christmas morning. Within the past 76 years, Toys for Tots has distributed 652 million toys to 291 million deserving children across the nation, according to their website.

Many FRCE employees enjoy supporting the cause; some have even developed group collections to make donating more convenient. Team members within FRCE’s Composite Components Shop, for example, developed a plan to pool monetary donations. The group then purchased as many toys as the money could buy. Production controllers Alexis Bishop, Tristen Pratt and Jamie Birt lead their shop’s group collection.

Pratt said the goal is not just to provide gifts, but to make the holidays truly special for families in need; that’s why the shoppers focus on buying gifts that are sure to excite children who receive them.

“It feels really good knowing that we could be making so many kids’ Christmas morning more enjoyable,” she said.

For the FRCE team members who come together to support the cause, knowing the toys could go to support military families in need makes the effort even more meaningful.

“Whatever we can do and whatever we can help with, that is our goal,” said Bishop. “My fiancé is currently deployed – he is a Marine – and it makes me think about the families with kids here whose dad isn’t home. For them to have this support system if they need it is very important; it tugs on my heartstrings.”

The FRCE F-35 and AV-8 aircraft lines also have their own tradition for the annual Toys for Tots collection. Each year, they pool monetary donations and purchase bicycles to donate to the cause.

“As a former Marine, I have an attachment to Toys for Tots,” said Ike Rettenmair, F-35 and AV-8 branch head. “I’ve done Toys for Tots as long as I can remember, and I look forward to it every year.”

Rettenmair said they focus on buying bicycles for the children. Last year, they donated 19 bicycles to Toys for Tots and this year, they collected nearly 40 bicycles. Their goal is to donate more and more each year.

“We kind of lived on our bicycles growing up, and you notice there aren’t as many bike-riding kids anymore,” he said. “Maybe this is our chance of helping them have that experience. Every kid needs the joy of a bicycle.”

Whether the donations come individually or as a group, in the form of bikes, toys or monetary donations, the knowledge that they’re helping area children in need is the best part of supporting Toys for Tots, Bishop said.

"We absolutely love the time we spend on Toys for Tots every year,” she said. “It’s a way to give back to the community, and we like to spread cheer. I feel like we can really make a difference.”

FRCE is North Carolina's largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.