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(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – The County of Santa Barbara invites the community to help spread holiday joy by donating to the Toys for Tots campaign.
Donation boxes are available in the lobbies of the County Administration Building (105 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara) and the Joseph Centeno Betteravia Government Administration Building (511 East Lakeside Parkway, Santa Maria).
All toys collected will stay local and be distributed to children in need through the Unity Shoppe.
Santa Barbara County Supervisors will join the effort by presenting toys at the Board of Supervisors meeting on December 9, 2025, in Santa Barbara.
County employees and community members are encouraged to drop off new, unwrapped toys by December 17, 2025. Collection boxes are also located in front of Santa Barbara County Fire stations.
The Toys for Tots tradition began in 1947, when Major Bill Hendricks, USMCR (US Marine Corps Reserve), and a group of Marine reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to local children. The program’s success led the U.S. Marine Corps to expand it nationwide the following year — a tradition that continues today, bringing smiles to millions of children each holiday season.
