Firefighters Host County Toy Drive, Festival Spotlights Donation Effort
Humboldt Bay Firefighters Local 652 launched the Share the Magic of Christmas toy drive, collecting new unwrapped toys through December 15, with a prominent donation window during the Redwood Acres Artisans Craft and Music Festival December 5 through 7. The drive offers multiple drop off points at fire stations and participating local businesses, providing an ongoing opportunity for residents to support local children during the holiday season.
Humboldt Bay Firefighters Local 652 is running the Share the Magic of Christmas toy drive through December 15, giving residents a chance to donate new, unwrapped toys for children in the county. The drive featured a visible collection effort during the Redwood Acres Artisans Craft and Music Festival at Redwood Acres Fairgrounds, which took place December 5 through 7. An event listing invited donors to bring toys starting Friday December 5 at 4 p.m. and to use fire stations and participating local businesses as drop off points.
The festival provided a concentrated donation window and visibility for the campaign, drawing festival attendees to the fairgrounds and amplifying collection capacity over the weekend. Organizers positioned fire stations as anchor collection sites so contributions could be gathered across the county and funneled into a single campaign that runs through mid December. The drive is explicitly aimed at holiday giving for local children, and it keeps collection open for one week after the festival to allow more residents and businesses to contribute.
For Humboldt County, the drive is more than seasonal goodwill. Local charity events like this shift private donations into direct support for families when public programs may not provide additional holiday resources. Firefighters unions and first responder groups often play this role in small counties, leveraging community trust and physical infrastructure to coordinate outreach. The festival partnership also links cultural events and commerce to charitable giving, helping local vendors and businesses benefit from increased foot traffic while supporting a social need.
Residents who missed the festival donation window can still take part through December 15 by dropping off new unwrapped toys at designated fire stations or at participating local businesses. The campaign’s combination of union coordination and festival outreach illustrates how community institutions and local markets can work together to address seasonal needs and strengthen social safety nets in Humboldt County over the long term.
