by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
The Jacksonville Fire & Rescue headquarters on Julia Street looked more like the North Pole Wednesday when dozens of Firefighters and other City employees gathered to move a huge collection of toys to the Salvation Army’s Toy Shop on Beach Boulevard.
The bicycles, basketballs, footballs, dolls, stuffed animals, clothes, compact disc players, video games and lots more were all donated by City employees through the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program.
Major Jim Arrowood, area commander of the Salvation Army, said this year’s effort will make sure there are gifts for more than 12,000 children.
“It really speaks to the kind-heartedness of people who live in Jacksonville,” he said. “It’s important to Mayor John Peyton and all of the people who work for the City to help those in need, especially the children because they are the future.”