The 2025 season of Sedona Toys for Tots is gearing up to bring holiday cheer to economically disadvantaged children up to age 14.

Local coordinator Angela Thomas returns for her second year leading the effort after the 2024 campaign, which supported 1,384 children with 4,028 toys distributed. In 2023, the group provided toys to 1,111 children.

“The mission of the Sedona Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community,” reads the organization’s volunteer signup on Volunteer Sedona & the Verde Valley.

“I’m much more relaxed this year,” Thomas said. “Last year, I had insomnia and felt like a zombie, waking up in the night with ideas and reminders. One big lesson was to ask for help. I created an Amazon wish list for supplies like bags, tape and tags.”

Fortunately, local businesses “donated all the bags I needed, [along with] a mountain of batteries,” she said. “The wish list made a huge difference.”

New for 2025, shoppers should be on the lookout for 67 donation boxes around Sedona that will also have branding to celebrate the U.S. Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary, since Toys for Tots got its start as a Marine Corps Reserve program. Thomas said she would like to have more drop-off locations and that local businesses and organizations may reach out to her to have a donation box delivered to them.

“One new aspect I’m spending more money on this year is books. I found a great book vendor, and the quality is much better than what I could afford last year, so I increased my book budget from $1,000 to $3,000 this year,” Thomas said. “Every child gets one because that’s what I can afford right now. I’d love to provide more. I also purchased extra books for the summer reading program. At the end of the school year, every student at West Sedona [School] will get a book to take home.”

The 17th annual Italian dinner fundraiser for Sedona Toys for Tots returns to Sedona Winds on Sunday, Nov. 16, from 4 to 6 p.m. The meal is $60 per person, and the deadline to RSVP is Monday, Nov. 3. Visit the Sedona Toys for Tots website for more information or contact Terry Williams directly to purchase tickets at (928) 284-1021.

“All proceeds go toward toy purchases,” Thomas said. “Afterward, we take the Sedona Winds bus to buy toys — last year it was $3,700 worth. The residents love seeing the toys displayed in their lobby before we pick them up.”

The city of Sedona is partnering with Toys for Tots to bring back the Stuff the Bus drive on Monday, Dec. 8, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Sedona Posse Grounds Hub on Posse Grounds Road, with the goal of filling a Sedona Shuttle Bus with unwrapped toys.

“Volunteers can help load the bus, which then gets a police escort down [SR] 179 to the warehouse,” Thomas said.

She is working to bring back last year’s friendly rivalry of the Battle of the Badges between the Sedona Fire District and Sedona Police Department to see which agency can raise the most money for Toys for Tots.

Thomas said she is in need of more volunteers to help put on the “Bikes for Tykes Day” on Saturday, Dec. 13, when they distribute bicycles to children. She also needs more people to help bag, transport and organize toys.

Toys for children ages 6 to 14 are in especially high demand, as this age group typically receives fewer donations than younger children.

The application period for assistance is open now through Monday, Dec. 8, and toys are distributed Monday, Dec. 1, through Thursday, Dec. 18.

Collection boxes will start going out to the community in the first week of November, and the last date that toys will be picked up for collection is Friday, Dec. 12.

“It’s not just my program or the Sedona Area Veteran and Community Outreach’s — it’s Sedona’s program,” Thomas said. “So many people now know I’m the coordinator and reach out to help. [Last season] a grandmother told me her daughter was going through a divorce and struggling financially. Toys for Tots helped them during that tough time, and now she donates because of the help they once received. Stories like that stay with you because the whole community comes together to make it happen. Hopefully, every parent who needs help will get it this year.”

For more information about Sedona Toys for Tots 2025, visit sedona-az.toysfortots.org or contact Thomas at Sedona.az@toysfortots.org or (909) 747-4877.

Volunteer signups are also available online at Volunteer Sedona & the Verde Valley at vsvv.org.