The Long & Foster Companies, parent company to Long & Foster Real Estate, the largest independent residential real estate company in the United States, is again participating in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s annual Toys for Tots program. This year marks Long & Foster’s 25th year contributing to the holiday collection campaign, and over the years, the company’s many offices across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast have collected thousands of toys for the Marines and Toys for Tots.
“It’s the 25th year that Long & Foster and its affiliated businesses have chosen to help provide a better holiday season to children in need within our local communities and across the Mid-Atlantic,” said P. Wesley (Wes) Foster, Jr., chairman of The Long & Foster Companies. “We’re very proud to be able to support this worthy cause and to help make sure that children in our area have a happier holiday.”
Community members may drop off new, unwrapped toys at their participating Long & Foster sales offices between now and mid-December. Employees at the company’s corporate headquarters are also participating in the annual initiative, collecting donations at the building located at 14501 George Carter Way in Chantilly, Va., from now through Dec. 15.
Once the toys are collected and presented to the U.S. Marines, they are distributed through churches and social welfare agencies to the neediest children throughout the community. Started by the U.S. Marines in 1947, the Toys for Tots campaign is an annual toy collecting drive that now reaches throughout 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Last year, the Toys for Tots campaign distributed more than 18 million toys to nearly 7 million children, according to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation 2014 Annual Report.
“Giving back to the communities in which Long & Foster agents and employees live and work is a top priority for all of our professionals, and that’s why we participate in the Toys for Tots drive year after year,” said Jeffrey S. Detwiler, president and chief operating officer of The Long & Foster Companies. “The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve has built a tremendous program with Toys for Tots, and our employees, agents and their clients appreciate—and enjoy—the opportunity to share the holiday spirit with children who might not receive anything otherwise. We’re so pleased to be contributing for a 25th year.”
For more information, visit www.LongandFoster.com or www.ToysforTots.org.