[The following is courtesy of state Sen. Bruce Tarr.]

North Shore Holiday Toy Drive expected to collect thousands of toys for North Shore Children in need

Once again North Shore 104.9 and state Senator Bruce Tarr will hit the road collecting toys for children on the North Shore and broadcasting live all day. This year’s Holiday Toy Drive will take place on Thursday, Dec. 13 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. from 10 locations on the North Shore. The live broadcast will feature local entertainment, school choirs and bands, great food, interviews with local officials and even Santa Claus will be on the road helping the cause. The Paper Store has partnered once again with Senator Tarr and North Shore 104.9 to present the 17th annual North Shore Holiday Toy Drive broadcast.

“People on the North Shore have powerful spirits of caring and giving, and our toy drive provides an opportunity to those spirits to translate into a real difference for kids in our area during the holidays. I’m honored to partner with North Shore 104.9 to help make that difference, and truly appreciate the station’s ongoing commitment to public service now and throughout the year,” said Tarr.

This toy drive will be his 17th since being elected into the Massachusetts Senate in 1994.

North Shore 104.9 President Todd Tanger stated: “We are thrilled to be a part of this wonderful event. The North Shore Holiday Toy Drive is such an exciting event that brings holiday joy to deserving children right here in the North Shore. We thank everyone for their overwhelming generosity and kind contributions, especially Bruce Tarr for his continued efforts and energy year after year. We appreciate listeners and clients allowing us to break from normal programming to broadcast this event and hope they help us bring some holiday joy to the lives of children on the North Shore this holiday season.”

The scheduled broadcast locations are as follows (times are subject to change):

1. 6 a.m. Capitol Diner, 431 Union St., Lynn, MA. Toys being collected for: Toys for Tots (coordinated by the Lynn English High School R.O.T.C.).
2. 7:30 a.m. Devereux House, 39 Lafayette St., Marblehead, MA. Toys being collected for: Making Ends Meet.
3. 8:15 a.m. The Paper Store, 435 Paradise Rd., Swampscott, MA. Toys being collected for: Toys for Local Children (The Paper Store in Swampscott will only collect toys on Dec. 13).
4. 9 a.m. Flint Public Library, 1 South Main St., Middleton, MA. Toys being collected for: Neighbors in Need.
5. 10:30 a.m. Dawson’s True Value Hardware, 50 Enon St., Beverly, MA. Toys being collected for: Beverly Bootstraps.
6. 12 p.m. First Ipswich Bank, 31 Market St., Ipswich, MA. Toys being collected for: Action Inc./Ipswich Caring.
7. 1:15 p.m. Woodman’s of Essex, 121 Main St., Essex, MA. Toys being collected for: Action Inc.
8. 2 p.m. Manchester Athletic Club, 8 Atwater Ave., Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. Toys being collected for: Pathways of Gloucester.
9. 3:30 p.m. Tuck’s Candy, 15 Main St., Rockport, MA. Toys being collected for: Action Inc.
10. 5 p.m. Cape Ann Savings Bank, 109 Main St., Gloucester, MA. Toys being collected for: Action Inc.

In addition to the above broadcast locations, the below locations are welcoming any and all donations for the Annual North Shore Holiday Toy Drive. Please note that North Shore 104.9 will not be broadcasting from the below locations:

• Wenham Museum
• Cape Ann Savings Bank, Manchester
• Marblehead Community/Aging Center
• Abbott House, Lynn
• Rosewood Nursing and Rehab, Peabody
• NMTW Credit Union, Danvers
• First Ipswich Bank: Essex, Rowley, Gloucester
• Michaud Mitsubishi, Danvers
• Honey Dew Donuts, Danvers
• Delande Lighting, Salem
• Beverly Chamber of Commerce
• Millennium Spa and Hair Studio, Beverly
• Additional toy donation locations listed at www.northshore1049.com.

Toys can be dropped off at any of these locations now through Tuesday, Dec. 18. For further information, please call JoAnn Gillette at North Shore 104.9 at 978-927-1049 ext. 19 or Sen. Bruce Tarr at 617-722-1600.