SALISBURY — There is still time to take advantage of the local Toys for Tots drive even if you did not sign up during the initial application process. Beginning later this week, families will have the chance to pick up gifts from the organization’s distribution center in Salisbury.

On Monday, applicants that did sign up to receive gifts through the Salisbury Toys for Tots Foundation arrived to The Learning Lounge location on West Innes Street to pick out something for their little ones.

Adell Hernandez was one such parent. Hernandez moved to Rowan County from Florida, citing a more welcoming atmosphere as reason for the relocation. She has five children, all boys, ages 3-13.

“I got some blocks for my babies,” Hernandez said. “The Einstein (game) is for my 13-year-old and I have a bowling game for my seven-year-old.”

Being a fresh face in the area, Hernandez is still trying to get up on her feet.

“Since I am new here, I am kind of broke,” she said. “My family told me to sign up for Toys for Tots and that they would help me on Christmas. I signed up and they told me to come here.”

She described her discovery of Toys for Tots as a relief. Being in a new place, on a financially unstable foothold has been challenging, mentally and emotionally, for the mother of five, so finding a way to ensure that her children will have something on Christmas morning proved to be a Godsend.

Hernandez said that having been on the receiving end of the help that she plans to volunteer next year to assist in the collecting and distributing of the gifts.

“I enjoy helping others and know they can use help,” Hernandez said.

Chariel Dye is the director of The Learning Lounge. She said partnering with Toys for Tots helped facilitate a mission near to her heart.

“Every year, I give out toys anyways,” Dye said. “To have an organization like this to come in and be able to bless these children to this magnitude is super, super phenomenal, because a lot of kids wake up on Christmas morning and have nothing. Some parents are at that age now where affording gifts can be very tough.

“It’s so beautiful to see an organization act so unselfishly to give back to children that they don’t even know.”

Having been an early childhood educator for decades, Dye said its unpleasant for her to think of children going without on Christmas.

“Look at those kids that wake up on Christmas morning and have nothing,” she said. “You can just imagine what it’s like for that child to wake up and have at least one thing under that tree that belongs to them.”

Those good feelings are a bit contagious for Dye.

“I’m all giddy and silly because this right here is what feeds my soul,” she said. “So far we have seen about 100 people come through here today. We counted almost three or four thousand toys. The city will be immensely impacted by this and we hope to get them to come back next year and every year after.”

New to the program is Jonathan Barbee, who is serving as the local community organization coordinator for Toys for Tots. Stepping into that role was the fulfillment of a promise that Barbee made when he learned that the previous coordinator was stepping down.

Barbee was at a veterans luncheon at Christiana Lutheran Church when a Rowan County Sheriff’s officer said they were having trouble finding someone to spearhead the program.

“I took it upon myself to look into information with regards to how to maintain its infrastructure and connections towards creating a good cause within the community,” Barbee said.

Barbee spent his time with the organization coordinating logistics with an eye towards maximizing outreach and benefit through the distribution process.

“I tried to make sure we had a facility that would offer ample parking, safety and centralization,” he said. “That is what matters to me for this to be a smooth process.”

He also said that making it a six-day pickup window broadened the people they could serve and allowed for recipients to plan pick up into their busy holiday schedules.

Families that did not apply during the initial process can still receive toys this year. Beginning on Thursday, the program will open to new signees on a first-come, first-served basis. The distribution center is located at 612 West Innes Street. Pick up times are noon until 6:30 p.m.