Toys for Tots takes notice of recalls

David Pleasant held the pink box above his head.

"Polly Pocket?" he asked.

Three women standing beside boxes of toys checked their lists.

"Do you have a number for it?" Kris Dervin asked. "Does it start with a B or an H?"

Pleasant flipped the Polly Pocket! Adorable Storage box over to read the barcode, and said, "It's G8609."

This Polly Pocket toy passed inspection Saturday and will be among the 42,000 toys distributed to needy Stark County children this week through the Toys for Tots program.

Other toys, however, weren't so lucky. Barbie Doll and Tanner, a Polly Pocket pet salon playset and pull-back action cars were tossed into a box labeled "Rejects 'R' Us" in black marker. They were one of the millions of toys recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission this year because they are considered a choking hazard or contain excessive levels of lead paint.

"I don't have a magic tool to run over these that detects lead," said Bob Harris, coordinator for the Stark County Toys for Tots program. "So we have to rely on that list."

The recall list, spanning 13 pages, added a time-consuming step Saturday for the roughly 50 volunteers, including Blue Star Mothers of America, City Bible Church members and former Marines, who gathered and sorted the toys on the program's biggest collection day.

"When we saw that list, we thought, 'How are we going to handle this?'" said Rick Mirenzi of the Veteran Connection and a volunteer for the toy drive. "But we put the mothers on it. ... When mothers are doing it, they take extra special care to make sure the kids get the good stuff. You can't underestimate the power of a mother."

In all, about two boxes, or roughly 50 toys, were rejected.

"It will all go in the garbage," Harris said. "We won't keep them, and we won't give them away."

The remaining boxes, full of toys deemed lead- and choking-hazard-free, will be sent to four community groups -- The Salvation Army in Alliance, Community Christmas, Total Living Center and The Salvation Army in Massillon - that will distribute them in time for Christmas. Distribution ends Thursday.

Reach Repository writer Kelli Young at (330) 580-8339 or e-mail kelli.young@cantonrep.com

Recalled toys

See a list of all toys that have been recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission at www.cpsc.gov