Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Toy Project marks decades of giving, supports families year-round
Organizers say the Toy Project has helped thousands of families over the years, with support reaching thousands of children each year.
WELCOME TO ATTEND. RIGHT NOW, THE SACRAMENTO COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE IS SPREADING HOLIDAY CHEER TO FAMILIES IN NEED. KCRA 3’S ERIN HEFT JOINS US LIVE NOW TO TELL US HOW THIS TOY PROJECT IS CHANGING LIVES. YEP, CHANGING THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF KIDS ACROSS SACRAMENTO COUNTY. THEY’RE GREETED BY THIS ADORABLE SETUP THIS MORNING. THE BALLOONS ARE DAY MAKING, AND I’M ACTUALLY JOINED BY LEANDRO MARQUEZ, YOUR PRESIDENT OF THE TOY PROJECT. THIS HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1984. SO TALK TO ME ABOUT ITS IMPACT OVER THE YEARS. WELL, THE IMPACT WE’VE GROWN EXPONENTIALLY, OBVIOUSLY, BUT AT THIS STAGE OF THE GAME, WE’RE APPROACHING CLOSE TO 4 OR 5000 KIDS, NUMEROUS FAMILIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY OF SACRAMENTO. IT’S JUST A BUSY, REALLY EXCITING TIME OF YEAR. AND SO FAMILIES, THEY EITHER PICK UP THESE BIG BAGS OF, YOU KNOW, CHRISTMAS CHANGING TOYS OR THEY’RE DISTRIBUTED TO FAMILIES. WHAT’S INSIDE? IF YOU COULD JUST, LIKE, HELP EXPLAIN. SO WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING AT WHEN A PERSON APPLIES THE BEST THING ABOUT OUR PROGRAM, PEOPLE ARE VETTED. SO WE VERIFY THEIR NEED, THEIR ACTUAL INCOME, THE FACT THAT THOSE ARE THEIR CHILDREN. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE’VE HAD PEOPLE TRY TO SCAM THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE, VERIFY THE KIDS, AND WE ASK, HEY, WHAT DO YOU WANT THIS YEAR? SO OFTENTIMES YOU’D BE SURPRISED. SADLY, OUR KIDS WILL JUST ASK FOR A PACK OF SOCKS OR SOME NEW SHOES BECAUSE THEY’RE WORN OUT. SO WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING AT WITH THE BAGS ARE A VARIETY OF TOYS, RANGING IN AGE FROM BABIES ALL THE WAY UP TO YOUNG TEENS, AND THERE WILL BE A LOT OF CLOTHES, COATS, AND WE HAVE BICYCLES IN THE BACK. SO IF SOMEONE’S WATCHING RIGHT NOW AND THEY GO, GOSH, I WISH I WAS ONE OF THE FAMILY SELECTED THIS YEAR, MAYBE NEXT YEAR. WHAT DO THEY DO? THEY SHOULD LOOK AHEAD OF TIME, LOOK AROUND THANKSGIVING TIME JUST BEFOREHAND, GO TO TOY PROJECT.ORG FOR INFORMATION AND START APPLYING EARLY. SUPER APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. AND IF YOU’RE WATCHING RIGHT NOW AND YOU WISH THAT YOU COULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO ALL OF THESE TOYS THIS YEAR, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY NEXT YEAR AND THE YEAR AFTER THAT, BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1984. TOY PROJECT.COM.COM.ORG. ORG. TOY PRO
Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Toy Project marks decades of giving, supports families year-round
Organizers say the Toy Project has helped thousands of families over the years, with support reaching thousands of children each year.
Updated: 12:15 PM PST Dec 19, 2025
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Toy Project, a program that has operated since 1984, continues its long-running mission to help make Christmas possible for local families by providing toys and gifts to children across the county.Organizers say the Toy Project has helped thousands of families over the years, with support reaching thousands of children each year. While the program is best known for its holiday giving, the Toy Project also provides toys and support year-round to children and their siblings staying in local hospitals, children impacted by domestic violence situations, and others facing difficult circumstances throughout Sacramento County.Community members can support the Toy Project throughout the year. More information is available at toyproject.org.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. —
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Toy Project, a program that has operated since 1984, continues its long-running mission to help make Christmas possible for local families by providing toys and gifts to children across the county.
Organizers say the Toy Project has helped thousands of families over the years, with support reaching thousands of children each year. While the program is best known for its holiday giving, the Toy Project also provides toys and support year-round to children and their siblings staying in local hospitals, children impacted by domestic violence situations, and others facing difficult circumstances throughout Sacramento County.
Community members can support the Toy Project throughout the year. More information is available at toyproject.org.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel