Tips For Tots At The Greene Turtle In Bel Air Is Wednesday

BEL AIR, MD — Tips from patrons at The Greene Turtle in Bel Air Wednesday can brighten the holidays for children in Harford County. During the 14th annual Tips for Tots, employees will pool together 100 percent of the tips they earn Wednesday to purchase toys for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve's Toys for Tots campaign. The corporate Greene Turtle office will contribute $500 to Toys for Tots for each team that generates at least $1,000 in tips Wednesday as well.

As part of the Tips for Tots celebration in Bel Air, there will be a 50/50 raffle, bake sale and live music from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday.

"Tips for Tots" was the idea of Corlie Brice, a bartender at The Greene Turtle in Salisbury. Brice noticed a sign on a nearby business that was serving as a Toys for Tots drop-off site. She felt compelled to take all of her tips from that day to purchase toys for the program. She also encouraged her coworkers to join her. That day, they generated $700 and went on a shopping spree to benefit local youth.

The Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille has 44 locations across Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, including in Bel Air.

The mission of Toys for Tots is to collect new, unwrapped toys and distribute them to less fortunate children at Christmas. Founded by members of the Marine Corps in 1991, the nonprofit organization is still run exclusively by veteran Marines.

Craig Reeling, Toys for Tots Coordinator for Harford County, said there are 208 drop sites that will help local children have gifts for the holidays. There were 4,018 children who benefited from Toys for Tots in Harford County in 2018.

Tips for Tots at The Greene Turtle in Bel Air is from 11 a.m. until close Wednesday, Dec. 11, at the Harford Mall, 696 Bel Air Road.