While the organization is Toys for Tots, they receive plenty of books, games and puzzles that are also distributed to local area kids. (Photo courtesy Toys for Tots)

Dropping a toy in a Toys for Tots drop box in Kane County is just the beginning of its journey into the hands of a needy child.

In a sprawling warehouse in Batavia, the toys are sorted and counted by more than 200 volunteers, who then prepare them to be delivered to 34 different organizations in Kane County that then distribute them to needy kids.

“We’re Santa’s workshop,” Kane County Toys for Tots coordinator Patrick Kackert said. “People’s eyes open up when they walk into the warehouse. It takes a lot of manpower, but every child deserves a little Christmas. That’s our goal, to provide to a needy child that otherwise wouldn’t be able to enjoy the spirit of Christmas.”

Over the past couple of weeks, more than 26,000 toys passed through the warehouse, helping more than 12,000 Kane County children get a taste of the holidays.

“Every year it grows,” Kackert said..

The site in Kendall County was the VFW hall on South Main Street in Sandwich. Kendall families were also served by the Toys for Tots organizations in neighboring Will and Grundy counties.

There are areas all over the Batavia warehouse for all kinds of toys, including items for younger kids that would work for either gender. This is the side where primarily boys toys are held until they are distributed. (Photo courtesy Toys for Tots)

In 1995, the Secretary of Defense tabbed the Marines Corps as the caretakers of the Toys for Tots charity. In counties where there is an active Marine Reserve unit, they take the lead in coordinating the efforts. Kane County has no such unit, which is where Kackert came into play three years ago.

Needing a coordinator for the county, Kackert, a Marine Reservist for 25 years, stepped in at the urging of DuPage County coordinator Rita Kollias, who served in the Marines with Kacker.

“I didn’t realize what it was really about until I started volunteering,” Kackert said. “I used to collect toys myself and take them to different units. Three years ago, they had a need for a coordinator and I decided to volunteer. Rita was the driving force into putting my hat into the ring. I was happy to do it. I was surprised at the amount of need out there. That’s the biggest shock.”

Another surprise is the generosity of the public, which is evidenced by the more than 26,000 toys donated in Kane County alone. Sorting those toys out is an arduous process that really kicked into gear The weekend of Dec. 12-13. On that Saturday alone, more than 140 volunteers were busy in the warehouse preparing for the delivery of toys to organizations that range from crisis centers, churches and more.

At the center, it’s a family affair for Kackert as his wife, Toni, is his assistant coordinator. One of his employees at Restoration Techs in Batavia, Dorothy Holland, serves as his warehouse manager.

Kackert’s 78-year-old father George and his wife Diane were sorting toys in the warehouse Thursday.

“Well, it’s helping kids,” George Kackert said. “Kids can’t help themselves. My three boys were Marines (as was he), so here I am.”

The Kackerts can’t do it alone, however. That’s where volunteer groups from businesses, churches and schools, boys and girls scouts, and even St. Charles North’s varsity football team come into play to help the process move smoothly.

“We can’t do what we do without them,” Patrick Kackert said.

The Toys of Tots orders are filled and ready to go for several local organizations, who will, in turn, distribute toys to local kids in need this holiday season. (Photo courtesy Toys for Tots)

When a drop box is brought to the warehouse, a volunteer begins to sort and count the toys. One side of the warehouse is for boys toys, all sorted into different age groups. The other side is for girls toys, categorized in the same way.

Volunteers sort out books, games and puzzles, as well as stocking stuffers. Then the rest of the toys are sent to their designated spot in the warehouse.

When an order comes in from an organization needing toys, a volunteer then takes the list and starts grabbing items from the correct spots to fill the order. For example, on Thursday, an order came in from Family Focus in Aurora.

“They say, ‘I would like five toys for girls ages 1-3, 10 for girls ages 2-4’, and we pull from the toys we have to fill the order,” Holland said. “We like to make sure that the kids get a toy and a game for their family. If we have enough at the time, we’ll include a puzzle or a book. We get some things that aren’t really big toys, so we give them away as stocking stuffers. It’s a nice little extra for the child. However they want to distribute them, it’s all up to them.”

On occasion, Kackert gets to see children receive their gifts.

“It is satisfying and gratifying when they have the parties for the kids and they pass the toys out,” Kacker said. “It’s gratifying to see the smiles on their faces.”

The whole process takes less than three months. On Oct. 1, Kackert and his people contact businesses and individuals that had drop boxes the previous year, seek out donated warehouse space and start receiving requests from organizations in need.

Then boxes are sent out on Nov. 1 and the waiting game begins. When they start to arrive at the warehouse, they come in droves, usually two weeks before Christmas.  Last weekend, all the loose ends were tied up and the group awaits another 10 months before the work starts up again.

Come Oct. 1, 2016, Kackert will be getting the operation ready.

“I can’t stop now, they’ve got me hooked,” Kackert said.

For more information on the organization, go to http://www.toysfortots.org/Default.aspx

— Toys for Tots a tradition that operates with Marine precision —