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SALT LAKE CITY — Instead of a sleigh, Christmas came a day early for children at the Road Home in the form of a big red fire truck.
The Salt Lake City Fire Department received a call from workers at Dollar Tree, 3344 S. 1300 East, saying they had set aside about 200 toys to be donated. Their original plan fell through, however, and they asked if the fire department could help, explained Salt Lake fire spokesman Jasen Asay.
The department picked up the toys and used one of its fire engines and another department vehicle to deliver about 20 large boxes full of toys to the Road Home, 210 S. Rio Grande Street.
The Road Home, a private non-profit group that provides emergency shelter and helps with the homeless, had several groups delivering toys to them on Christmas Eve to be handed out to less fortunate children, including the U.S. Marines and their annual Toys for Tots program.
"We have an army of soldiers, an army of volunteers that are just willing to come out and sort toys, distribute toys. It's never hard to find volunteers at all," said Marine Staff Sgt. Randy Chunne. "It's just something to give back to the community."
Chunne said the Marines had been collecting toys and money for Toys for Tots since October.
