Longtime Oakland Chinatown Christmas in the Park Toy Drive in dire need of help this year [Video]

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — A longstanding holiday tradition in Oakland’s Chinatown is in dire need of community support as donations severely lag this year.

The Christmas in the Park toy drive, now in its 18th year, was started to honor the late Oakland Police Officer Stan Mock, who organized a community toy drive before his passing in 2007.

His legacy lives on through the dedication of volunteers and local organizations, including the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council, the Lions Club and other groups.

In previous years, the toy drive would have collected 200 to 300 toys by now. But this year, donation bins tell a different story, with only 10 toys collected so far.

Organizer Karen Chung believes inflation may be one reason for the drop in donations. She was gutted when she saw the donation bin this year.

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