Saugus Fire Department holding annual toy drive until Friday

SAUGUS – The Saugus Fire Department is known for saving people from burning buildings, but with the holiday season in full swing, firefighters are saving Christmas for some families with their annual toy drive.Residents have until Friday to donate new, unwrapped toys, which can be dropped off at collection bins around town, including Town Hall and the public safety building.Retired Capt. Bill O?Malley and his wife Carole have been organizing the toy drive for more than 25 years, and on Friday, he along with volunteers from the fire department will be making their final pickups.?It?s a labor of love, that?s what we have here,” said O?Malley. “There?s always a need. When we first started this the economy wasn?t that bad. But we started calling the people and there was quite a need out here. Now that the economy is the way it is now, there?s even more.”O?Malley spent time earlier this week at home going through his list of families that need toys.So far O?Malley said he has about 45 Saugus families on his list, the names of which he collects from local churches, friends and family.Once the final pickups are made Friday, the toys are brought to the Essex Street Fire Station, which O?Malley calls “toy central.”From there, O?Malley will go through them and sort them all by age and then package the toys for delivery next week.?We get the fire department elves to volunteer to help us out to deliver to the families,” said O?Malley.So far O?Malley said the supply is “about right” and he doesn?t think they?ll run short.?There is a quite a bit in there right now,” said O?Malley.For anyone interested in making a donation, O?Malley reminded them not to “forget the older children.”?Everyone thinks of the little tots,” said O?Malley. “But there are older children that are 10 or 11 years old that there?s not many toys left for them. People never think of that age group. They?re hard.”Even though the drive ends Friday, O?Malley said people can still donate whenever they want.?We never refuse anybody,” said O?Malley.Saugus Fire Chief James Blanchard has seen O?Malley?s work firsthand over the years and said he was impressed with the amount of dedication he puts into it.?He organizes it, collects toys, then gets volunteers to make deliveries,” said Blanchard. “It?s very well organized and it?s a ton of work.”But O?Malley gave much of the credit to his wife Carole.?Without her nothing gets done,” said O?Malley. “She?s the backbone of the whole thing.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter @MattTempesta.