Carolina Dental Specialty Center will be collecting new, unopened toys for the Jacksonville Toys for Tots starting Nov. 1 through Dec. 14 at their office located at 200 Doctors Dr.

Since 2016, Carolina Dental Specialty Center has provided its clinic as a depot for Jacksonville residents to donate unused toys to the Toys for Tots program, an initiative sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves that provides toys and gifts to less fortunate children at Christmas time.

“We participate in quite a few programs throughout the year where we give back to the community, but Toys for Tots is particularly special because it brings a lot of joy to children in our area whose families might not be able to afford many gifts during the holiday season,” said Dr. Jose Arauz, founder of Carolina Dental Specialty Center. “Every aspect of life is getting more expensive, but no kid should feel like they aren’t good enough to receive presents at Christmas.”

Community members can drop new, unwrapped toys in collection boxes positioned in local businesses throughout Jacksonville, including Carolina Dental Specialty Center. According to the Toys for Tots website, coordinators with Toys for Tots will pick up donations and store them in central warehouses, where the toys are sorted by age and gender.  At Christmas, coordinators, with the assistance of local social welfare agencies, church groups, and other local community agencies, distribute the toys to the community’s less fortunate children.

For more information on the Toys for Tots program, visit www.ToysForTots.org.