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P.M. Update: Sunday, Dec. 6

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HANOVER TWP. &mdash; Nothing sums up the spirit of the holiday season like a brand-new toy under the Christmas tree.
				With many families struggling this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, getting toys into the hands of the area&rsquo;s children has become more important than ever.
				As they&rsquo;ve done in past years, the Hanover Township Lions Club partnered with the United States Marine Corps to hold a Toys for Tots drive on Saturday afternoon &mdash; but this year looked a bit different.
				&ldquo;We usually have Santa Claus here. We have snacks for everyone,&rdquo; said Bernard Kozloom, the president of the Lions Club. &ldquo;With the virus, we had to change things up.&rdquo;
				Usually, the Lions Club sets up shop along West End Road, where toy donors can park, bring over their donations and enjoy a snack and some pleasantries with Santa.
				The Lions still lined up along the roadway, but the toy drive functioned more as a drive-thru, with club members and Hanover Township police officers directing traffic so that people could pull up, hand off their donations for the club to put inside the Toys for Tots bins and drive away. 
				Even with the change in format, the bins were still quickly filling up not soon after the toy drive&rsquo;s 2 p.m. start time.
				&ldquo;Just look at what we&rsquo;ve gotten so far,&rdquo; Kozloom said, proudly gesturing to a nearby bin filled to the brim with toys. &ldquo;Every child deserves a toy for Christmas, maybe now more than ever.&rdquo;
				Also on hand during Saturday&rsquo;s toy drive were a handful of Marines, including Staff Sgt. Klaus Lawas.
				&ldquo;The pandemic has put so many people out of work. It&rsquo;s affected everyone,&rdquo; Lawas said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m honored that we could offer help any way we can.&rdquo;
				Once the drive wrapped up on Saturday around 5 p.m., the donated toys were be loaded up onto a truck and taken to a warehouse for the Marines to sort and prepare to distribute in the coming weeks.
				&ldquo;We usually try to give ourselves about two weeks before the holidays to distribute the toys,&rdquo; Lawas said.

Toy drive COVID-style