MANKATO — There was a time several years ago when Tatum Roberts thought about quitting.
After all, she’d started this toy drive several years ago with Eric “Edgar” Barnes, her partner of several years, who had recently died from cancer.
But then she thought about the children at CADA House, and the way their faces — so often heavy with the weight of things children shouldn’t have to think about — would light up when they received Christmas presents they never thought they’d get.
Or the CADA House moms, relieved to have a little bit of their burden lifted off their shoulders.
She also thought of Eric.
“It was definitely hard, especially the first couple of years, doing it without him,” Roberts says. “First and foremost it’s great to give back to our community organizations that need the support especially around the holidays, and to make things brighter for kids. But another piece of it is carrying on some type of a legacy for (Eric) as well. This is something he was a part of starting in our community, something that gives back. That was a big part of his heart, a big part of just who he was.”
These days, such doubts no longer intrude upon Roberts’ mind. And now the annual toy drive she coordinates has become just a part of her holiday-season routine.
For the record, The Great Mankato Toy Drive — now in its ninth season — takes place Saturday night at NaKato Bar and Grill in North Mankato. The event calls for attendees to bring unwrapped toys to the event, which will include music from Bee Balm Fields and The Paperbacks.
All toys and funds collected (cash donations are accepted) go to CADA House and the Child and Family Advocacy Center of Southern Minnesota. Both organizations help families and children in crisis, and both offer services during the holidays.
“Around Christmas time CADA’s conference room basically turns into a little elf workshop,” Roberts says. “Which is really fun to be around.”
Once toys are collected, Roberts brings them to CADA where they are wrapped. One of the interesting things is that Roberts and CADA staff invite moms staying at CADA House to help wrap gifts.
“They’re starting their lives over. They don’t have a lot of financial stability at the moment and, like any parent wants to, they want to make Christmas as fun and enjoyable for their children as they can,” Roberts said.
“It’s also an opportunity for the moms to also get involved in wrapping the gifts and be a part of giving them to their children so that they can feel a part of it, too.”
If you can’t make the 8 p.m. event, toys can be dropped off at NaKato at any time Saturday during business hours. Another way to help is by adopting a family at CADA House through their CADA Elf program. A typical contribution for this program is $75 to fulfill a wish list.