NORWICH – Four days after Toys for Tots of Chenango County lost hundreds of items to a fire that ripped through The Storage Center, LLC in the Town of Norwich, Toys for Tots organizers are reaching out to the community to replenish the toy stock in time for the holidays.

Toys for Tots estimates more than $8,000 worth of merchandise was lost in the fire that destroyed a 40-unit storage shed at The Storage Center on County Road 32 in Norwich on Nov. 30. Each year, Toys for Tots keeps toys stored away for the following year because toy distribution begins just after Thanksgiving – before the organization receives a brunt of its new toy donations from community members. Toys for Tots also uses funds from its annual budget to make purchases throughout the year, which had also been kept at The Storage Center.

Cause of the fire at The Storage Center is still under investigation by the New York State Police and the Chenango County Bureau of Fire. Due to the size of the building, officials say results of the investigation could take weeks.

“A lot of people ask why we have toys left over in the first place,” said Melinda Mandeville, Toys for Tots coordinator for Catholic Charities of Chenango County. “A lot of people don’t donate toys until Christmas gets closer. Having those extra toys (in storage) gives us something to start with.”