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As the holiday season advances, the opportunities to bring a little holiday cheer into the lives of less fortunate men, women, and children are many. The United States Marine Corps Reserve’s long-running Toys for Tots campaign is one way to do that, and Wilmette, Winnetka and Northfield residents have several places they can bring new, unwrapped toys.

Wilmette residents have until Dec. 15 to donate at Village Hall, 1200 Wilmette Ave., during business hours; at Fire Station 26, 1304 Lake Ave.; and at the Wilmette Police Department, 710 Ridge Road.

In Winnetka, people can drop off unwrapped toys at the village police department, 410 Green Bay Road, at any time of the day, as well as at the Winnetka Public Works yard, 1390 Willow Road. The public works donation box will be available starting Dec. 7, according to Public Works Department analyst Matt Havlik.

“We are a collection point,” Winnetka Police Chief Patrick Kreis said. “We have been for a number of years. We look forward to it each holiday season. Toys for Tots is a great organization on the Marine Corps’ part, and many of us (in the police department) donate toys. I just put a bag in myself.”

Another Winnetka drop-off point is at the Berkshire Hathaway Home Service Koenig Rubloff Realty office, 538 Chestnut St., until Dec. 9, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the Marine Toys for Tots website.

In Northfield, residents can take their gifts to the Fire Rescue facility at 1800 Winnetka Ave. or at Village Hall, 361 Happ Road, according to the village website.

The Toys for Tots campaign started in 1947 when U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Major Bill Hendricks organized a campaign that collected 5,000 toys for less fortunate children in Los Angeles, Calif., before Christmas that year, according to the National Toys for Tots Campaign website. Since then, the campaign has grown into a nationwide effort, aided since 1992 by the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Over the years, it has provided more than 512 million toys to more than 237 million children.

For more information, visit the Toys for Tots website at www.toysfortots.org.

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Twitter: @pioneer_kathy