Tri-Cities volunteers, donations help thousands of kids with Toys for Tots, Bikes for Tikes

The Toys for Tots campaign received $8,000 in cash and toys over the weekend from Hanford vit plant contractors and their employees.

The donation included $8,000 in corporate donations from prime contractor Bechtel National and subcontractor Amentum, said a news release.

And plant employees also dropped off toys, made online donations, and bought hundreds of toys from an Amazon wishlist that were delivered directly to the Toys for Tots organization.

And an additional $5,000 was donated by Bechtel to Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 598 for the Bikes for Tikes campaign.

Donations to Bikes for Tikes helped pay for and assemble 2,000 bikes, including 350 designated for Toys for Tots.

“Our team’s generosity is helping make sure every child has a gift to open this holiday,” Staci West, vit plant communications manager said in the release. “We’re committed to help our neighbors in need, especially during a pandemic, and to strengthen our community’s resiliency.”

Glen Carter, local coordinator for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves’ Toys for Tots program, accepted the donation at Saturday’s drop-off event.

“We have partnered with the vit plant for more than decade now, and they are always instrumental in helping us meet our goals,” said Carter. “We’ve seen community needs rise steadily over the past few years, and we are so grateful for continued generosity of the vit plant employees, Bechtel, and Amentum.”

In 2021, the vit plant team donated more than $425,000 to over 30 local organizations, campaigns, and programs, such as United Way of Benton-Franklin Counties, Second Harvest, Columbia Industries and Junior Achievement, said the release.

Bikes for Tikes

Local 598 organizes the annual build of bicycles for Bikes for Tikes.

Volunteers and law enforcement officers from Pasco, Richland and West Richland and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office helped assemble the bikes Friday at the Three Rivers Convention Center.

Union workers distribute the assembled bikes to kids throughout the region.

This story was originally published December 12, 2021 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Tri-Cities volunteers, donations help thousands of kids with Toys for Tots, Bikes for Tikes."