'Tis The Season Of Giving In Hillsboro

HILLSBORO, OR — With the holidays fast approaching, the Hillsboro Firefighters Random Acts organization is once again planning with its partners multiple fundraisers and charity drives at locations all across the city — beginning with the Stan Johnson Memorial Toy Run and Raffle, and concluding with the home delivery of food and toys for Hillsboro families in-need.

Continuing more than 50 years of tradition, the Hillsboro Fire Department's Toy and Joy program will work with groups like ABATE and the Elks Lodge, as well as the Hillsboro Police Department, Cornell Estate Retirement and Assisted Living Residence, students and staff from the Hillsboro School District, and countless community members willing to donate their time and energy to making the holidays that much happier for all Hillsboro's residents.

Check the dates and time for the following events to see if you too can participate this year:

Saturday, Nov. 18 — The Washington County ABATE Stan Johnson Memorial Toy Run and Raffle

Hundreds of gruff, tough, yet remarkably friendly and generous bikers will gather at the Hillsboro Fire Department's Ronler Acres Fire Station #3 at 12 p.m. to donate hundreds of toys to the Hillsboro Firefighters Random Acts Toy & Joy program. Then they'll participate in a raffle, the proceeds from which will be used to purchase even more toys for Hillsboro's kids this Christmas. Following the raffle, the bikers will mount their rides and traverse the city to the Hillsboro Elks Lodge at 21865 N.W. Quatama Rd. where they'll drop off the toys and present a check to the Toy & Joy coordinators.

(Beginning the following day, toy barrels will be posted at each of the city's fire stations so folks can bring their new and used toy donations.)

Sunday, Nov. 19 — Cornell Estates Bake Sale

Few things are better than grandma's cookies, and the Hillsboro Firefighters Random Acts group knows it. That's why the organization annually teams up with the Cornell Estates Retirement and Assisted Living Center for a bake sale fundraiser to support the Toy & Joy program. This year, the bake sale will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cornell Estates, 1005 N.E. 17th Ave. Firefighters, Cornell Estates staff, and Hillsboro residents all donate their baked goods for this delicious public fundraiser.

Sunday, Dec. 10 — Firefighter Toy Buy

Using the money raised for the Toy & Joy program over the previous weeks, Hillsboro firefighters head to Fred Meyer with the Hillsboro Elks Lodge's toy list to purchase (at a deep discount) all the toys and goodies still needed for Hillsboro's children. According to Hillsboro Fire Department spokesman Bruce Montgomery, Toy & Joy will spend somewhere between $10,000 and $15,000 on toys.

Saturday, Dec. 16 — Toy and Food Delivery

Early Saturday morning, hundreds of volunteers will meet at the Hillsboro Elks Lodge to arrange and deliver more than 600 care packages of food and toys to Hillsboro families across the city. In the weeks leading up to this highly coordinated event, volunteers will have spent countless hours organizing the food and toys to ensure each family gets exactly what they need — paying strict attention to the numbers so no child is left out.

After several weeks of charity drives and fundraisers by multiple groups and organizations, the members from which donate countless hours for the benefit of people they'll likely never meet, the culmination of so much hard work is truly a sight to behold, as is the looks on the faces of more than 1,300 kids who's Christmas will be that much merrier for their efforts.

To find out how you can volunteer, call the Hillsboro Elks Lodge at 503-648-1862. And for more information on how to donate to the Toy & Joy program, visit hfra.us/donate, or mail PO Box 895, Hillsboro, OR 97123.

Top Image: Biker Santa heads out for the annual Stan Johnson Memorial Toy Run in Hillsboro. Courtesy: Travis Loose