ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Since 1948, the United States Marine Corps has collected and distributed nearly 435 million toys to needy children at Christmas through the annual Toys for Tots campaign. This year several Baldwin County libraries are participating in the program by volunteering their library to be a collection site.

New, unwrapped toys are being collected at the Baldwin County Library Cooperative in Robertsdale, Daphne Public Library, Foley Public Library, Loxley Public Library, Magnolia Springs Public Library, Orange Beach Public Library, Robertsdale Public Library and the Marjorie Younce Snook Public Library in Summerdale. Toys may be dropped off at any participating library until Thursday, Dec. 15.

The Thomas B. Norton Public Library will collect toys on Thursday, Dec. 1 at the city of Gulf Shores Open House. Toys may be dropped off at the library, the Bodenhamer Center, the Erie Meyer Civic Center and the Gulf Shores Museum in Gulf Shores from 6 6 to 8 p.m.

Toys for Tots is the Marine Corps’ premier community action program and aims to provide a tangible sign of hope to economically disadvantaged children at Christmas. For more information about the Toys for Tots campaign visit the website at www.toysfortots.org.

The Baldwin County Library Cooperative consists of the county’s 12 local libraries, the Bookmobile and several book deposit stations. BCLC is open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. BCLC is located in the Central Annex at 22251 Palmer St. in Robertsdale.