JERSEYVILLE - Jersey State Bank has a year-round commitment to the Toys for Tots organization, collecting all year round. The bank’s effort is coordinated with serious passion by Kathy Landess, the organization’s human resources officer.
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Recently, Jersey State Bank revealed the vast amount of items collected to the organization.
“We spend the entire year collecting these toys,” Laura Stemm, the Jersey State Bank marketing director, said. “The entire boardroom table was filled with all these gifts. It is so great how one of our employees, Kathy Landess, took charge of it and kept sending out e-mails reminding people of it. Webb Cunningham from Toys for Tots came in and I think he was overwhelmed by how much we had.
"In volunteering last year, it made us realize the need. We have always been a drop-off location but it is neat to see all these toys together at one time.”
Landess said the campaign started a year ago when they were actually shopping at Toys for Tots locations for families.
“We noticed stocking-stuffer items were minimal so I thought it would be a good thing for people to pick them up throughout the year,” she said. “One thing led to another and the effort caught on in March and we also collected lots of great gift items, too. It was super exciting to see all we were able to donate throughout the year. When Webb came in and we made the presentation I kind of saw tears coming to his eyes, I think he was surprised. We will hit the ground running again in January for another year and contribute for the entire year to the campaign.”