DECATUR - City Centre Decatur and the Marine Corps Reserves' Toys for Tots program have come up with one way to use the Transfer House.

The two nonprofit organizations will collaborate to collect toys to give to children in the community for Christmas, as they try to "Stuff the Transfer House."

Daylyn Wells, executive director of City Centre Decatur, said the idea wasn't initially to use the Transfer House but rather to get the community involved in benefitting a local organization.

"They have so many children to give toys to," Wells said of Toys for Tots. "So we'd thought it'd be interesting to see how many toys we can get to maybe spill out of the Transfer House."

The drive will kick off Saturday with the Sights and Lights of Christmas parade in downtown Decatur.

Hubert Bone, a Vietnam veteran and coordinator of Toys for Tots in Macon County, said a float sporting the "Toys for Tots" logo will proceed down the street in the nighttime parade with boxes available for the community to put new, unwrapped toys in, he said.

Starting Monday, several downtown restaurants will give patrons a 15 percent discount off their meal when they bring in a new, unwrapped toy valued at $5 or more.

The participating restaurants include Felice's Italian Restaurant, Lincoln Lounge, Katz on Merchant, Macon Ice Cream & More, Pastabilities, Porter's and ZB's New York Style Hotdogs.

Bone said last year more than 6 million toys were collected nationwide. Macon County gathered toys for 2,300 children last year in conjunction with the Salvation Army, he said.

"Everyone's talking about the economic problems today," he said, "but what that means to me is more people are going to need more help."

The drive will continue until Dec. 3, when the Transfer House will be stuffed with the donations. Also on that day, City Centre Decatur and Toys for Tots volunteers will be at the Transfer House, accepting any more toy donations from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Toys also can be dropped off, beginning Nov. 29, at Bob Ridings, Soy Capital Bank & Trust in Airport Plaza, Cromwell Radio Group, MacArthur High School and Dale's Southlake Pharmacy, all in Decatur; and Coziahr Harley-Davidson in Forsyth.

To sign up to be a drop-off location for Toys for Tots, contact City Centre Decatur at 423-3475.

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