The Toys 4 Tots 2009 campaign was launched in the plaza outside Lompoc City Hall Wednesday beneath gray skies and with a surprise announcement by a corporate partner that threatens to put a damper on gift donations.

Campaign Chairman John Keth, co-coordinators Brenda Herrera and Pat Nuernberg, and several Toys 4 Tots board members launched the drive, which provides holiday toys to disadvantaged children in the Lompoc community.

"Lompoc businesses and individuals are very important to the success of Toys 4 Tots," Keth told the small group of people gathered in the plaza Wednesday.

In a year when the recession forced many local businesses to shutter their doors, Toys 4 Tots' staff members want the community to know that "together, we can make a difference," Nuernberg said.

But the Toys 4 Tots board suffered a setback Tuesday when the manager of the local Walmart, Marty Cabral, told members that the chain's corporate offices have decided not to allow the nonprofit group to place toy collection boxes inside either the Lompoc or Santa Maria stores.

In past years, the Lompoc Toys 4 Tots has been allowed to place collection boxes at two locations inside the store: at the front, near the Walmart greeter, and in the garden section, Nuernberg said.

The Santa Maria Toys 4 Tots had already placed its toy boxes and coin machines inside the Walmart at the Crossroads Shopping Center, but has been asked to remove them, Herrera said.

The chain store's decision is especially discouraging, Nuernberg and Herrera said, because with the closure this year of Big Lots, the Central Avenue Walmart is Lompoc's only remaining toy store.

In Santa Maria, other businesses such as Kmart and Target also sell toys, so the Walmart decision doesn't come as such a blow in that city.

In Lompoc, "seniors and young families, especially, were the biggest donors to the Walmart toy boxes because it was convenient for them" to shop for and donate toys during the same errand, Nuernberg explained.

"As much as 60 to 90 percent of our total amount of toy donations came from people shopping at Walmart and then donating," Herrera said. "So this is very frustrating for us."

Toys 4 Tots will still be allowed to collect toys outside the Lompoc Walmart, Herrera said, but will have to schedule its visits to avoid any conflict with other community groups seeking donations. In addition, additional volunteers will be needed to "staff" outdoor collection boxes in order to thwart theft of the toys, she said.

Both Toys 4 Tots and Walmart are members of the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce, and Keth is first vice chairman of the chamber board. Keth said he complained Wednesday to Denny Anderson, president of the Chamber's board, about Cabral's apparent decision not to fight for fellow member Toys 4 Tots.

Ken Smith, assistant manager for the Lompoc Walmart, said Cabral was not at the store Wednesday and referred a reporter to the store's corporate offices, which could not be reached.

Alyssa Hess, 6, and her father, Frank, brought a bag full of toys donated by members of Girl Scout Troop 51357, which Frank's wife, Rose Hess, leads. The bag sported the signatures of some of the scouts who sent the toys to the kickoff.

The boxes used to collect donated toys are already in place at several locations around town, including both city fire stations, the police department, the Chamber of Commerce, The Party Shop and the Dorothy Jackson Resource Center.

Toys 4 Tots asks donors to give new, unwrapped toys each valued at $10 or more for children up to age 17. In past years, 13 was the top age cutoff, but the organization found that older teens were often left without holiday gifts. "We encourage DVDs, footballs, one-time use cameras, games and books" for the older children, Nuernberg explained.

"We especially need toys for boys and girls aged 7 to 17 years old. In addition, monetary donations are welcome, and are tax deductible," she said.

Donations of bicycles, helmets, locks and skateboards are always welcome, as well.

New stuffed animals are always a hit with the younger children, Keth said. "Those toys are something they can feel secure with."

Residents hoping to be recipients of Toys 4 Tots must register between 4 and 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, or Wednesday, Nov. 18, at the Veterans Memorial Building, 100 E. Locust Ave.

Volunteers are needed to assist in the family registration process, and are urged to attend training at noon, Friday, Nov. 13, at the Dorothy Jackson Resource Center, 501 North W St. Lunch will be provided. For questions or to volunteer, call Denise Williams, volunteer coordinator, 742-2943, by Friday.

"We welcome any amount of time anyone can offer us as a volunteer," Williams said.

Jack Pellerin has been a Toys 4 Tots board member for the past several years. His role is key: On the day the toys are distributed to families, the gray-bearded Pellerin dresses up as Santa Claus to hand out the presents, he said.

Kathy Hefferman, coordinator of the Lompoc Police Activities League and a new member of the Toys 4 Tots board, said she joined the organization because she hopes "to give something back to the town." She'll likely help train the volunteers who handle the collected toys, she explained.

In a similar vein, Yvonne Wright-Scott, another new board member, said she joined Toys 4 Tots to help the community. "It's a neat thing, especially in this economy."

It takes the group's volunteers about three weeks to get toys sorted by age category and to check them for safety, organizers say. In 2008, more than 620 families registered with Toys 4 Tots in Lompoc, Nuernberg said, and the board expects to have at least that number sign up this year.

Toys 4 Tots will accept applications from low-income families in need of toys for children up to 17 years of age. Parents or guardians will need to complete the application, and provide:

• A photo identification of the adult who is applying.
• Birth certificates of medical cards of the children.
• Proof of address.
• One of the following: copies of the last three pay stubs; a 2008 Federal Income Tax Return; Cal-Works or food stamps; and worker compensation, unemployment or a family support letter.

Once a family member completes the application and provides the required information, that family will be qualified, Nuernberg said. Toys 4 Tots will distribute the toys on Saturday, Dec. 19; families will be notified of the time and location when they register.

The Toys 4 Tots organization blossomed from the efforts in 1947 of Major Bill Hendricks of the Los Angeles Marine Corps Reserve Unit, who organized his members to collect 5,000 toys for children who otherwise would have gone without a holiday gift, Nuernberg said. Hendricks' program was such a success that the Marine Corps adopted it the following year, expanding it nationwide, and it has grown to be known as the Marine Corps Reserve Toys 4 Tots Program.

Laurie Jervis is a freelance writer, editor and vineyard manager, and can be reached at winecountrywriter@yahoo.com.