(NewsUSA) - Toys for Tots is the Nation's flagship children's Christmastime charity, but the program offers more than holiday hope. Toys for Tots has expanded its reach to help families in need throughout the year, and its services have been more valuable than ever in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The past year saw a huge increase in the number of families in need, and many are still struggling. In order to continue providing emotional relief, comfort, and a sense of normalcy to impacted families, Toys for Tots distributed one million toys, games, and books to COVID-19 impacted families through their DoGoodNow campaign. The generosity of the American public allowed Toys for Tots to source these gifts to children across the United States, but now they need help to refill "Santa's bag of toys" in preparation for what will likely be another busy holiday season.

"We didn't want to wait until the holidays to support families in need, so we provided one million toys throughout the spring and summer," says LtGen Jim Laster, USMC (Retired), President & CEO of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. "Through our DoGoodNow initiative, we depleted our emergency supply of toys originally reserved to kick off our holiday campaign. The primary goal of our Christmas in July campaign is to restock our inventory of toys after our second special COVID distribution, and we could use everyone's help in preparing for a busy holiday season," he emphasizes.

The impact of Toys for Tots' DoGoodNow campaign has been extremely successful thanks to the generosity of the American public. The support has reached nearly 400,000 children from coast-to-coast with help from our partner Good360 and their network of hundreds of local non-profits distributing toys in areas still reeling economically from the pandemic.

The emotional support offered to these families is made possible by the kindness and generosity of Toys for Tots supporters whose donations make a real and genuine impact on families in need. Visit toysfortots.org/ChristmasinJuly for more details or to make a donation. Be sure to follow Toys for Tots on Facebook and Instagram, where Toys for Tots spokesbear "Gunny Bear" shares examples of the impact your support makes.