FORT BENNING, Ga., (Nov. 12, 2014) -- Santa's Castle on Fort Benning received close to 500 toy donations Nov. 7 from 11th Engineer Battalion Soldiers. "It's amazing to see the unit that wants to give back," said Melissa Glasspoole, president of Santa's Castle.
"I am just blown away every time I have Soldiers contact me and want to do a toy drive, or they want to donate toys or their time."
Glasspoole said this is the second year the 11th Eng. Bn., has done a ruck march and toy drop for them.
"Last year, we didn't know what to expect," she said. "This year, they outdid themselves."
Prior to the start of the march, Lt. Col. Bryan Sizemore, commander of 11th Eng. Bn., commended his Soldiers for their generosity in donating the toys.
"Fortunately, we have a bunch of folks on this installation who, every year, donate toys and other items for children who wouldn't necessarily have an opportunity to get those," Sizemore said. "It is a blessing to be a commander to someone who gives back so much."
Spc. Miguel Benavides participated in the Santa's Castle "mini-ruck march," as he referred to it, and donated a box of crayons.
"It's a great sense of pride that I can actually help others out in times of need," he said. "Perhaps (a child) has the motivation and inspiration to become the next Pablo Picasso or Vincent van Gogh."
The location of Santa's Castle moved to a building behind the Main Post Exchange this year, Glasspoole said. She pointed out the program is strictly donation-based and more than 290 Families have already applied for service from Santa's Castle.
"Our resources are limited, so we have to cut back on how many Families we can help and what we can give to those Families based on the resources we have," she said. "With these donations that we get from the 11th Engineers and elsewhere, that increases the number of Families we can help and the children we can help."
This year, Glasspoole said Santa's Castle is in need of toys for children ages 8 to 12.
For information on how to get involved or on applying for service, call 706-685-4422. Also, visit the Fort Benning Santa's Castle Facebook page or www.santascastlefortbenning.org.
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