Click to play videoWashington: Christmas may not be as cheerful as previous years for millions of needy children in the US because the Toys for Tots organisation is seeing a big drop in donations this year.
Every holiday season the Toys for Tots organisation helps provide millions of toys to needy children across the country.
But officials say, this year they have more children than the toys, and it is going to take a miracle to meet the demand.
“I've got 50 bicycles that we picked up from one single donor,” says Toys for Tots Coordinator Master Sgt Timothy Butler.
Despite some charitable donations, the organisation, charged with the task of collecting and handing out toys to needy children, says this year many kids may be waking up with no presents under the tree.
“Normally at this point, every single day I would have a mountain of toys behind me. Although I only have the morning shipment in, you can see that my pile is not a mountain,” says Butler.
Toys for Tots centres nationwide are seeing their lowest cash and toy donations in five years — a dramatic drop from last year when a record 19 million toys were donated to nearly eight million kids.
Organisers say they're expecting five million fewer toys this year, which translates to roughly two million fewer kids getting gifts.
“I'm getting a lot of phone calls from families that are patiently waiting, the ones that are really in need and they're scared,” adds Butler.
So what's the reason behind the shortage?
It not just the economy, but the alarming number of toy recalls as well.
“All the recalls have really shaken the consumers' faith in our country's safety net,” says Consumer Federation of America’s Rachel Weintraub.
But Toys for Tots coordinators say they're well prepared.
Butler claims that they have a process in place to catch the potentially dangerous toys at their sorting facility.
So as volunteers work like elves, gathering and sorting presents, they're holding out hope for a gift of their own.
Butler says it is going to take a “miracle” for that to happen.
Toys for Tots coordinators say they have to cut off this year's program next week. In order to get a gift to a child in time for Christmas, they need all donations as soon as possible.
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