Taunton, MA…Today Mayor Shaunna O’Connell thanked East Coast Towing and Recovery and R&F Motors, Inc. for partnering with the Mayor’s Office to collect toys for local Taunton children for Christmas.
"Our City is blessed to have so many generous and giving partners who are always open and willing to meet the needs of our community," Mayor O’Connell said. "This year has been hard for many families and with a decrease in donations, there was a gap that needed to be filled. East Coast Towing and R&F Motors, Inc. offered to partner with my office to provide some support for local families.”
The Christmas Toy Drive was a joint effort between the Mayor’s Office and East Coast Towing and R&F Motors, Inc. initiated by business owner Robert Martin. Toys were collected at City Hall and at East Coast Towing for over a month. City residents generously donated toys to benefit local families. In addition, Mayor O’Connell spearheaded a City of Taunton employee initiative that granted City employees the perk of wearing jeans to work throughout the month of December if they made a donation to the toy drive or donated a gift card to benefit local Taunton Public School students. The response was overwhelmingly positive.
“City employees began bringing in toys at the end of November, even before the Jeans Days began. Although everyone appreciated dressing down for the month of December, the true motivator was the gratification of knowing these toys would help make Christmas a little brighter for our local families. It was so heartwarming to see the pile of toys grow bigger every day. Our City employees are some of the hardest working, most generous people I know. I am grateful for our HR Director, Amy Kazlauskas, who came up with the idea of utilizing Jeans Days to support the toy drive and I am appreciative of all the employees who so joyfully embraced this initiative,” said Mayor O’Connell.
On Monday, December 19, 2022, multiple boxes of toys were dropped off at a local organization for distribution before Christmas. In addition, $1,000 worth of gift cards were brought to Taunton High School last week to be utilized for students.
Ashley Ford, Operations Manager at, R&F Motors, Inc. expressed her gratitude for the Mayor’s efforts. “Working with the Mayor was exceptionally meaningful to us. We appreciate being included in this year’s toy drive. We look forward to working together again in the future.”###