Kindertime Toy Drive to deliver toys and smiles to Baltimore's youth
BALTIMORE — A local toy drive is bringing together our first responders and children in need here in Maryland.
Tomorrow, first responders will load up their cars and deliver thousands of toys and smiles to children in need throughout Baltimore
For over two decades now, a Baltimore man and his wife has made it their mission to give back during the holiday season through a toy drive, and they're doing so by bringing together police and first responders in Maryland with the communities they serve.
Pete O'Neal is the founder of It's Kindertime Toy Drive, which he started as a way to honor his mother who was murdered in 1993, and pay respect to the dedicated Baltimore City homicide detectives that worked to solve her case.
For the past 24 years, O'Neal and his wife, Beverly, have brought together police and first responders throughout Maryland to collect toys to donate to sick, needy and homeless children every holiday season.
"It's beautiful to see it is what it is...to see officers interacting with kids who don't see them in a good way...and everyone's laughing, singing songs.", O'Neal said.
Jaime Kurman, the Director of Patient Experience and Community Engagement at Kennedy Krieger Institute, is also looking forward to the drive. "As a small child, seeing the lights going by and knowing those people in the community care for you, its really exciting," she said.
In addition to bringing toys to kids, the drive also serves to showcase law enforcement in a positive light. "I believe that police officers in general want to see that connection, especially with young people where they don't feel intimidated or afraid but they see them really as a light in their community", Sabrina Sutton, Pastor of God Bay Christian Center told WJZ.
For Pete O'Neal, the most important outcome of the event is bringing people together.
"My hopes are that you and I and everybody who's around us come together a little bit more, and if we do that, I'm good.", O'Neal said.
