ELYRIA - A few dollars in January and February.

A little bit more in March and April.

Each month, 66-year-old Rachel Stump of Amherst put aside a small portion of her Social Security check with one goal: to make this year’s Not-Forgotten Box donation one to remember.

And, after a year of saving and weeks of shopping, the mother of five adult children and grandmother of 10 packed her bounty of toys into her car - actually her car and two others, as she needed extra vehicles to transport the toys - and dropped them off at The Chronicle-Telegram.

She brought some family members to help unload the bags full of dolls, games, trucks and racecars.

Altogether, Stump - who was shocked to know her son, Thomas Stump, had alerted volunteers on Friday that they should expect to see his mother Saturday, said she spent nearly $1,000.

“I started shopping in October,” she said. “I try to save a little here and there. I just love kids.”

“It makes me feel good to help,” she added while choking back tears.

Stump was not alone in her generosity Saturday. On the first weekend collection day for the Not-Forgotten Box, the annual toy drive sponsored by The Chronicle-Telegram and the Elyria Salvation Army, scores of residents brought in toys by the bagsful.

By 2 p.m., 1,040 toys had been collected, bringing this year’s tally to 2,094 toys so far. The Chronicle-Telegram will collect toys until Dec. 18 with a goal of amassing 8,000 toys that will be distributed to nearly 1,000 families this holiday season.

The Elyria Salvation Army takes over the immense task of sorting the toys and displaying them in the organization’s gymnasium during its annual Christmas Castle program. There, families are escorted through the maze of dolls, trucks, games and stuffed animals and are allowed to select items for each child in the family.

For some of the less fortunate, it accounts for most, if not all, of the gifts their children receive during the holiday.

Savannah Keaton, 6, brought Play-Doh, Barbie dolls and a toy toaster oven perfect for any little girl’s kitchen. Her grandfather, Frank Chapman, of Elyria, said he took all of his grandchildren with him when he shopped to ensure that the tradition of giving continues.

“This is how you get the youngsters into the giving spirit,” he said.

Shopping for others is a lot of fun, said 40-year-old Patricia Rice of LaGrange.

A first-time donor to the Not-Forgotten Box, Rice said the lackluster economy prompted her to head to the stores.

“This year I believe there will be kids in need of toys,” she said. “I know we have been cutting back this year. I know a lot of people are doing the same, and every little bit helps.”

This is the second year that Candace Fischer of Grafton has donated to the Not-Forgotten Box, although she began helping the less fortunate for Christmas in 1994 in honor of her mother, who passed away.

“Christmas is for kids, and we always had good Christmases,” she said. “That was her idea of celebrating the holiday so when she passed, I decided to take the money I would have spent on her and spend it on another family.”

Stump, who is in her 15th year of donating, said she does it because she knows what it is like to worry about making Christmas special.

“I have five children,” she said. “I know what it is like to have a lot of children and be low on money.”

Easy and fun ways to help

It is not too late to help.

And, it’s not difficult, either.

The next time you are out shopping, think of the Not-Forgotten Box.

Pick up an extra new toy and head over to The Chronicle-Telegram, located at 225 East Ave., where donations will be accepted 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until Dec. 18. Toys can also be dropped off 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, when Master of Illusions Fredrick Young will dazzle crowds with a free magic show beginning at noon. Young, who is also the pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Elyria, will wow crowds with a stage show and walkaround magic presentation. There will be rabbits coming out of hats and coins appearing out of thin air, and Young said he will even make someone float in the air.

“It will be a fun show for children of all ages,” he said.

Admission to the magic show is one new, unwrapped toy for the Not-Forgotten Box.

Nonperishable food items are also needed for the Salvation Army’s food pantry, which provides emergency food to Elyria residents year round.

Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com.

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