The county of Santa Barbara invites the community to help spread holiday joy by donating to the Toys for Tots gift campaign.

Donation boxes are available in the lobbies of the County Administration Building, 105 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara; and the Joseph Centeno Betteravia Government Administration Building, 511 E. Lakeside Pkwy., Santa Maria.

All toys collected will stay local and be distributed to children in need through the Unity Shoppe, the county said.

Santa Barbara County supervisors will present toys at the Board of Supervisors meeting, Dec. 15 in Santa Barbara.

County employees and community members are encouraged to drop off new, unwrapped toys by Dec. 17. Collection boxes are also located in front of Santa Barbara County Fire stations.

The Toys for Tots tradition began in 1947, when Maj. Bill Hendricks, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, and a group of Marine reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to local children.

The program’s success led the U.S. Marine Corps to expand it nationwide the following year in a tradition that continues today, bringing smiles to millions of children each holiday season.

For more about the Unity Shoppe, visit Welcome – Unity Shoppe. For more on Toys for Tots, visit Home – Toys for Tots.