Community Corner
$15,000 Collected for Toys for Tots on VRE Trains
Riders donated more than $15,000 in check, gift cards and cash on Dec. 5.
More than $15,000 in gift cards and money was donated to the Marine Corps Toys for Toys by Virginia Railway Express riders this month.
Dec. 5 was the day the commuter rail line asked passengers riding its morning trains to leave toys, gift cards, checks or cash in their seats for Toys for Tots.
And the passengers ended up giving in a large way, VRE officials said in an email note to its passengers Monday morning.
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A total of $15,297.60 was collected from all the train—passengers on Manassas Line Train 328 had the highest dollar amount in donations with $2,984.50, according to the VRE numbers.
Fredericksburg Line Train 306 came in second with $2,636.95 in donations.
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More than half of the total amount of money and gift cards was donated by Fredericksburg Line riders who chipped in $7,801.25.
As for the number of toys collected, VRE staff said they stacked to the top of the seats at the end of the morning of collection.
USMC Staff Sergeant Jason Pitts and VRE passenger operation specialist Greg Deibler, acting as Santa's "elves" loaded the donations onto Santa's magical box truck after the trains finished morning operations.
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