Jamestown’s AFSCME Local 418 and JCAA/JURA unions donated several boxes of toys and bicycles to benefit children in need through Toys for Tots. Pictured, from left, are Dan Stone, Steven Nowelo, Mike Holdridge, Kasie Foulk, Jake Berg and Patrick Smeraldo. P-J photo by Timothy Frudd

Workers from the Jamestown Parks Department and Streets Department donated several bins full of toys to Toys for Tots on Friday.

Dan Stone, Parks Department manager, said the Parks Department usually provides one box of toys for Toys for Tots. This year, however, the donation was much larger than normal due to the ambition and determination of the union members.

“When I mentioned something about it in the morning meeting to the guys, that’s when they came up to me and said, ‘Well our union is throwing in this, and we’re going to do it.'” Stone said. “I said that’s a great idea; I’ll call my union. Everybody in my union, all 27 members were like, ‘Yes, let’s do it.'”

Instead of collecting enough toys to fill a single bin, the unions provided enough toys to fill five bins as well as multiple bicycles for children.

AFSCME Local 418 and JCAA/JURA coordinated to purchase and collect the toys before providing them to Patrick Smeraldo, owner of Collaborative Children’s Solutions and coordinator at Toys for Tots.

“It was a lot of people at City Hall, guys from the Parks Department and guys from the Streets Department that all came together to be able to do this,” Stone said.

Stone explained that while it was “great” to donate one box of toys to Toys for Tots last year, the impact of this year’s much larger donation has been “huge.”

The donation is something that Stone believes will have a significant impact on children in need; however, he said the process of donating the gifts also had an impact on the union workers.

“I know it’s impacted us already,” he said. “It’s great. You get to go out and buy toys for kids and hopefully it makes somebody’s day and Christmas a little bit better and brighter. To be able to do stuff like this for the community and with the community is fantastic. That’s one of the great things about living in Jamestown.”

Stone said the community is fortunate to have people like Smeraldo helping “lead the way” for community involvement in good causes like Toys for Tots. He said this year’s Toys for Tots donation reflects the work of almost 100 people from the city that came together to help the community.

“It’s fantastic,” Stone said. “There’s a lot of real cool things in there. If it can make the day a little bit brighter for one child, two children, or a couple families, then that’s what the Christmas spirit is all about.”

While Stone said Christmas is supposed to be a “happy time” and a “festive” season, he admitted that not everyone is happy at Christmas due to difficult situations in people’s lives. By partnering with Toys for Tots, he hopes to provide an opportunity for children to experience happiness this Christmas.

“Maybe they can escape reality for a little bit, sit down and play with a toy, open up a package, ride a bike, throw a ball. To be able to do that, that’s what being a kid is all about. If we can make their day or even a couple hours of their day a little bit better, that’s what matters.”

Smeraldo expressed his gratitude for the city unions substantial donation this year. He explained that Toys for Tots would not be able to “survive” without the generosity displayed by the unions’ donation.

Smeraldo also indicated that Toys for Tots will exceed last year’s donation levels.

“Last year we did I think it was 4395 kids in the county,” he said. “We’re going to surpass that because we’re already over 4000 right now and our big weekend is this weekend.”

Smeraldo said “in-hand toy donations” are the best for Toys for Tots. While he acknowledged that monetary donations are helpful, he said it is easier to receive toy donations similar to the donation from the city unions.

Smeraldo also said city employees often do not receive credit for their work in the community. He believes the donation of the union workers reflects their commitment to the Jamestown community.

“Our city employees go unmentioned a lot with how much they get back to our community.” he said.