ALPENA — The Salvation Army and Walmart are joining forces to provide toys to 300 local children in need during the holidays with a toy drive event Saturday at Walmart.

The Alpena store is one of many stores nationwide taking part in similar toy drives. On Saturday, shoppers will receive a list of suggested toy items. To participate, simply stop by and drop off new toys to The Salvation Army at the front of each Walmart store.

“Every year we are honored to partner with this generous community in order to bring joy to area children Christmas morning” said Captain Amy Cedervall from The Salvation Army. “The public’s generosity helps The Salvation Army provide about 300 children with Christmas toys they would not receive otherwise.”

Santa will be making visits to every Walmart store on the same day, adding an air of excitement and Christmas cheer to customers’ shopping experience in stores.

For those unable to participate in-store on Saturday, The Salvation Army has provided a searchable online registry comprising all the items needed; each item requires just one click to purchase. Visit the online registry at https://www.walmart.com/lists/view-events-registry-items?id=d19caf98-4ca5-4e13-ad97-7c6e09198fdb.

Walmart and The Salvation Army have collaborated for more than 30 years to meet local community needs. Supporters like Walmart help The Salvation Army serve more than 23 million Americans each year through a range of social services, which help families overcome poverty.

All toys given to The Salvation Army in Alpena will remain in the local community to help The Salvation Army provide Christmas assistance to local children and families in need.

To learn more and find out how you can get involved with your local Salvation Army, visit SalvationArmyUSA.org. Contact Cedervall at 989-358-2769 or Amy.Cedervall@usc.salvationarmy.org.