Salvation Army distributes toys for Christmas Cheer program

FORT MYERS, Fla.- The Salvation Army in Lee, Hendry, Glades and Collier counties will begin to distribute toys for its Christmas Cheer program on Wednesday.

Pick up for the toys will run from Wednesday, Dec. 16- Saturday, Dec. 19.

The toys will be given to the families that signed up for the program back in October. The Christmas Cheer program provides toys to more than 4,000 children in Southwest Florida.

The Salvation Army of Lee, Hendry and Glades held a ribbon cutting Wednesday morning to officially open the new distribution center on N. Cleveland Avenue in North Fort Myers.

In Collier County, toys will be distributed Wednesday at the Tradeport Technology Park in Immokalee at 2050 Commerce AVE. #8, Immokalee, from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. From Thursday through Saturday, families can pick up their toys from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. at the Salvation Army facility on Tamiami Trail East in Naples.

Salvation Army officials say they are grateful for all the donations given.

“I just have to say thank you to the community for the way they’ve responded to our need for toys. It has been amazing. In the last 48 hours the toys have flown in from everywhere, people dropping them off, families dropping them off,” said Bob Poff, Operations Program Director of the Salvation Army of Lee, Hendry and Glades County.

Also announced Wednesday morning, The Richard M. Schulze will match any dollar up to $200,000 that is donated to the Salvation Army’s Red Kettles for the remainder of their campaign. You can also make a donation to the Salvation Army, securely from your smart phone by texting “2015MATCH” to 41444.