The Fountain Valley Fire Department held its annual Spark of Love Toy Drive this past December in partnership with ABC7, the Orange County Fire Authority and other local fire departments.
The drive brought in more than 3,800 toys that were distributed to those who might not otherwise receive gifts.
“Every year we try to reach out and touch communities that we don’t normally touch,” Fire Marshal and Spark of Love Toy Drive coordinator Michelle Rudaitis said. “The whole fire department's goal is to supply a toy to every child who doesn’t have one or somebody that won’t have something for Christmas.”
The donations ranged from bracelet- making art supplies to sporting goods, including basketballs and bicycles.
“I’ve been doing Spark of Love for over 15 years with this department. It’s always fun and rewarding,” Rudaitis said. “In our city, we try to get a lot of departments involved.”
This year, various organizations from the community took part in the toy drive, including the Boys and Girls Club of Huntington Valley, the Fountain Valley Woman’s Club, Fountain Valley Regional Hospital, Tamura Elementary School and the Vietnamese Cancer Society.
FVFD donated extra collected toys to other local fire departments to help fulfill their distribution needs.
The fire department also participated in the “Stuff-a-Bus” event with ABC7, the Orange County Transportation Authority and other fire departments. Community members brought donated toys to Honda Center in Anaheim, and the toys were loaded onto buses to be distributed.
Additionally, the FV Community Foundation collected monetary donations to purchase additional toys or gift cards for the city’s Senior Center and other adults in need.
“It’s just a wonderful collaboration. People enjoy coming to the fire station, bringing the toys and meeting the first responders,” Rudaitis said. “It's nice being able to communicate with people that might not have necessarily gotten to see the firetruck or talk to a firefighter. My firefighters enjoy this so much.”