STAUNTON, Va. (July 12, 2016) — Federated Auto Parts Inc. members and suppliers recently donated $272,000 toward the company's fundraising efforts in support of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve's Toys for Tots program.
The funding was raised during the annual Federated Toys for Tots auction, held as part of the company's national meeting and awards dinner held in Phoenix on April 14. Among the most popular items sold during the auction were Federated Auto Parts 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup activities such as driving the pace car, waving the green flag and serving as the starter of the “last race before the chase.”
“The generosity of Federated members and supplier partners is unsurpassed. We want to thank all of them for their incredible kind-heartedness, making our annual Toys for Tots auction another huge success,” said Rusty Bishop, the parts supplier's CEO.
Throughout this year, Federated members will continue their support of Toys for Tots, with many planning to collect toys for the program for the holiday season.
Toys for Tots officially was approved as an activity of the U.S. Marine Corps and an official mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 1995. Each year the program aims to collect new and unwrapped toys for distribution to less fortunate children during the holiday season. Throughout its lifespan, the program has distributed more than 494 million toys to more than 230 million children.
“The holiday season is off to a great start and we haven't even hit the dog days of summer yet,” Mr. Bishop said. “Many of our members and their customers have already begun Toys for Tots collections in their own areas, so we look forward to making another record-breaking donation to Toys for Tots in December.”
Last year, Federated donated $264,000 to Toys for Tots.