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If you’ve walked inside of a large retailer in LaGrange lately — notably Walmart — then you’ve probably seen the massive effort put forth for Toys for Tots.

It’s an impressive effort, and it’s not just because the Marine Corps League gives up so much time to make sure local children have presents to open on Christmas morning. We could go on and on about the Marine Corps League and their commitment to this tradition.

But law enforcement embraces it as well.

Fire trucks and other public service vehicles often bring attention to the effort, and it works. People in LaGrange give and give, filling up boxes of toys so that more than 1,000 local children will actually have something to open on Christmas morning.

This year the effort is arguably more important than ever before.

While some have been lucky to keep their jobs and not feel a massive hit from COVID-19, others haven’t been as fortunate. There are people in our community who might’ve never needed help before, who find themselves in the unenviable position of struggling to make ends meet this holiday season.

Some of us feel this pandemic has impacted us because we have to wear masks or because we can’t freely do things that we are used to doing.

But others are struggling to put food on the table, mourning the loss of a loved one, or scraping change together to buy Christmas presents.

So, if you’re in position to help this year, we hope you’ll buy some toys and donate them to Toys for Tots. Or, if you’re not able, you can still throw some change in a Salvation Army bucket.

The world has changed a lot in the last nine months, and the Christmas season is about giving. This community is so generous, so we know many have already given. We hope that’ll continue in the days ahead, as Toys for Tots comes to a close.

Do your part and help out. There are probably more people than normal that need the assistance this year.