rected by the U.S. Marine Corps. Toys for Tots is and official activity of the U.S. Marine Corps and an official mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. The Commandant of the Marine Corps has delegated the authority and responsibility for directing and managing the program to the Commander, Marine Forces Reserve. The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is the sole authorized fund raising and support organization for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. MTFTF was created at the request of the Marine Corps, is recognized by the office of the Secretary of Defense as the Program's fund raising and support organization, and provides support in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding between the Commander, Marine Forces Reserve and the President, Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.
             Toys for Tots here in Central Iowa have been very successful and are considered one of the best programs in the nation. The Central Iowa program has been in the top five rankings in the last seven years nationwide. In the last 13 years we have had a partnership with certain individuals who now have worked with KCCI channel 8 for the past four years. The local sponsors include the following; KCCI, Fareway, Wells Fargo, Bob Brown, U.S. Cellular, Iowa Realty, Wal-Mart and UPS. These are the major sponsors to Toys for Tots Central Iowa Program. Without these sponsors we would not be as successful.
             What does it mean to cover central Iowa? We cover about a population of 1,248,678 people spreading over an area of 33 counties and 18,496 square miles. Last year we collected over 24,000 toys, purchased over 31,000 toys and distributed over 65,000 toys to over 31,000 children here in Central Iowa. We operate primary over the months of November and December, which leaves us with a limited time to accomplish the mission.
             The Central Iowa Toys for Tots program starts around July. We host a motorcycle run with Mid-States Ford in Waukee. After the bik...