If you look towards the Hawthorne Bridge today around 10 AM you may notice a crowd of people, some fire fighters . . . and Santa . . . but he’ll be Sans-Rudolph. You see, the reindeer apparently don’t like to work without snow. So the man in red is riding from the North Pole . . . on a jet ski. Zipping through the arctic circle, across the Pacific Ocean, up the Willamette and docking in the Rose City with a check for Portland’s Toy-N-Joy donation drive.
The 94-year-old program gathers new, unwrapped toys for kids during the holiday season. It started when some local firefighters helped fix a broken wagon for a little child. Now, 10,000 kids every year get something from the Toy-N-Joy collection barrels.
This year, they are in particular need of infant toys after the recent lead-based-paint recalls. They also need stuff for tween girls 99-13) but request no makeup, even play make up. You can make a donation of your own at any Portland Fire Station.
