Episode 63 · Gregg Gardiner · December 14, 2024
Gregg Gardiner talks with Scott Hammond about how he came to Humboldt County, the publishing work that brought him here, and the community service that has shaped a lot of his life. The conversation centers on Toys for Tots: where it came from, how the local program works, and why it matters to families.
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What this episode covers
- Gregg’s path from the Marine Corps to publishing in Hawaii and then to Humboldt County.
- How he got involved in community service and eventually became the local Toys for Tots coordinator.
- The origins of Toys for Tots after World War II and the Marine Corps’ role in the program.
- How the Humboldt program collects donations, buys toys, stores them, and distributes them to families.
- The volunteers, sponsors, and community partners that keep the local effort running.
- Stories about giving, generosity, and what the program means for kids and parents at Christmas.
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Transcript
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Scott Hammond: Ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors, my new best friend, Gregg Gardiner.
Scott Hammond: Hi, Gregg.
Gregg Gardiner: Hi, Scott.
Scott Hammond: And I'm Scott Hammond on the 100% Humboldt podcast.
Gregg Gardiner: I-
Scott Hammond: Good to have you.
Gregg Gardiner: I don't know about new best friend, but friends for a long time.
Scott Hammond: Friends for a while.
Gregg Gardiner: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Hey, Gregg Gardiner, tell us the, tell us your story. How'd, how'd you get to Humboldt, and who are you, what are you about? And then we'll talk, I think we're gonna talk about Toys for Tots today.
Gregg Gardiner: Well, that's what we're here for, talk about Toys for Tots. I'll, but, but I'll, I'll answer your question. A little over 20 years ago, there was a opportunity to buy a publication here, and, um, I was at a turning point where looking for something else to do,
Gregg Gardiner: and-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … came and took a look at it, and fell in love with Humboldt County. It is incredibly beautiful.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: And, uh, so came over and, uh, uh, we started a publication called the, uh, 101 Things to Do. We, we bought-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Gregg Gardiner: … an existing publication, changed it over-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … ended up having visitor publications up, down the coast,
Gregg Gardiner: and-
Scott Hammond: Sure
Gregg Gardiner: … it's been a great, great opportunity for, for me, not only to fall in love with Humboldt, but all, all of Northern California. It's a beautiful place to live.
Scott Hammond: Oh, man.
Gregg Gardiner: It's a beautiful place to visit, and it's a wonderful place to tell people about.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. What do you like about Humboldt specifically?
Gregg Gardiner: Well, you know, when you look at all the things that are available here, it's, it's pretty incredible.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Gregg Gardiner: I mean, you have the bay, and you have the Pacific Ocean. Start with that. I mean, that, that's a-
Scott Hammond: That's good. Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … that's a winner. Then you have these incredible mountain ranges that just add so much to the landscape.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: And then throw in six raging rivers- … and, and some phenomenal, unbelievable redwood trees-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … and you have magic.
Scott Hammond: And some people that are salt of the earth.
Gregg Gardiner: Oh, there's wonderful people here.
Scott Hammond: Maybe, maybe like you and me, or at least-
Gregg Gardiner: Mm
Scott Hammond: … at least you.
Gregg Gardiner: No.
Scott Hammond: So how… I, I haven't really asked this. Where'd you go to school, and where'd you grow up, and when you said come over, did you come over from Hawaii?
Gregg Gardiner: Well, uh, yeah, uh, yeah. I, uh, I, I was born in San Francisco, grew up in Illinois, and went in the Marine
Gregg Gardiner: Corps.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, after the Marine Corps, um, I s- started doing, you
Gregg Gardiner: know, uh, uh, like many entrepreneurs, many different things-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … before I found my niche, uh-
Scott Hammond: Sure
Gregg Gardiner: … and ended up in the publishing business in Hawaii for, uh, a little over 20 years.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, and had some opportunities to, uh, work in community service. You know, uh, that's one of my, one of my things I like to focus on is giving back to the communities.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: And, and so did that there and moved here.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, um, uh, have, have worked in community service here as well, uh, donating my time and whatever ability I have.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, uh, and of course, Toys for Tots is part of that, uh, part of that
Gregg Gardiner: evolution.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: I've been involved with Toys for Tots now for 18 years.
Scott Hammond: Not so fast with the segue. I see where that was going.
Gregg Gardiner: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: But real quick, thank you for your service for, in the Marine Corps, but thank you for your service helping Humboldt Heroes. I, uh, couldn't have did much of what we've done for eight years without your help and your team and, uh, your expertise and, and certainly the Marine Corps, the local Marine Corps, uh, cadre, y- which is the reserve?
Gregg Gardiner: No. There's a Marine Corps League here.
Scott Hammond: League.
Gregg Gardiner: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Thank you.
Gregg Gardiner: There's no, there's no, uh, no, no, uh, Marine Corps Reserves or anything like that. Uh, you gotta get down, down south to be able
Gregg Gardiner: to-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … find guys that are actually still wearing the uniform.
Scott Hammond: Gotcha. But these guys are, you guys are, like, as one. Whenever, whenever there's a Marine being recognized as a hero, the whole team seems to show up.
Gregg Gardiner: Well, the Marines, I think, have a com- uh, uh, a, a, a, what's the right word here? A, um-
Scott Hammond: Culture?
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, well, it's a culture, but it's more than that. It's a, it's, it's more than a community. It's a, um, it's a brotherhood-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … that I think many of the other services, um, have to a degree, but not to the same degree.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, the Marines, um, are, are, um, are, are steadfast in their-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … in their support for each other.
Gregg Gardiner: And, uh, unlike other branches of the Marine Corps, uh, or oth- other branches of the service, you're a Marine for life.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, so, um, you're not, you, you know, you're not a former Marine. You're not a past Marine. You're-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … you, you can be a Marine veteran or you're a Marine, but you are a Marine.
Scott Hammond: You're gonna be a Marine for a while.
Gregg Gardiner: You are.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: You are.
Scott Hammond: I love that.
Gregg Gardiner: Once you sign up, you get, you get all the goods.
Scott Hammond: Gotcha. So are you a dad, a grandpa?
Gregg Gardiner: I am, uh, I am a, a dad, and I'm-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … I am a grandpa.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: My son has f- five, uh, five kids.
Scott Hammond: Oh.
Gregg Gardiner: And then again, uh, we have a second marriage, and so my wife Kathy has, has two kids-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Gregg Gardiner: … which I consider mine as well, so.
Scott Hammond: Sure. That's great. Where does your son live?
Gregg Gardiner: My son lives in Arizona, right, in a little place called Goodyear, and, uh, he's an IT guy, and my daughter lives in, uh, Erie, Pennsylvania, and she's a teacher.
Scott Hammond: A little farther to go see her.
Gregg Gardiner: Well, we're spread out.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. No, community service, I think, is y- your middle name. I've seen, seen you do it. I, I know at the f- the f- IFPA was the Free Paper Association you were a part of, and, um, I was part of the Tri-City Weekly paper here in Humboldt. A lot of people will remember that free paper and worked for a guy named Ron Pileggi who always spoke very highly of you and some of the inroads that you made for the, the small guy paper, the, uh, the, what… They're not incorporated. They're not Gannett. They're not giant
Scott Hammond: Thompson…
Gregg Gardiner: Ron's a great guy, and we-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … community misses him.
Scott Hammond: Yep.
Gregg Gardiner: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yep. Yep, Ron. We, shout out to Ron Pileggi. So tell us about this thing.
Scott Hammond: Um,
Scott Hammond: what is, um, what is Toys for Tots? Give, give us the, give us the history.
Scott Hammond: Uh, what's the story?
Gregg Gardiner: Well, the story goes back after World War II. There was a, a, a major at the time. His name was Hendricks, and-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … he worked for Warner Brothers in their public relations department, and-
Scott Hammond: Oh
Gregg Gardiner: … and if you really wanna know the real birth, it was probably his wife Diane. Uh, you know, she and her friends made a bunch of toys for kids.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Gregg Gardiner: She went to him and said, "Why don't you help me, uh, distribute these toys?"
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Gregg Gardiner: So, uh, sure enough, uh, uh- Being in the reserves at the time, he and his, uh, his fellow Marines decided to do that, and-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Gregg Gardiner: … they distributed, uh, lots of toys throughout the, uh, Los Angeles
Gregg Gardiner: area.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, um, he was buddies with a guy by the name of Walt Disney. You may have heard of him before.
Scott Hammond: Disney. Like, like, that rings a bell.
Gregg Gardiner: And, uh, they were good friends, and, uh, Walt Disney drew our Toys for Tots logo that you can see right here.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, that is Walt D- Disney in-
Scott Hammond: That's Walt
Gregg Gardiner: … 1948, and still using it to this day.
Scott Hammond: How about that?
Gregg Gardiner: Uh-
Scott Hammond: It's iconic.
Gregg Gardiner: It is iconic, and, uh, it's a great logo.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, and, and so, a few years later, the, the Marine Corps adopted, uh, this as a national
Gregg Gardiner: program and, uh, started to roll it out to various communities where Marines were-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … to, to, to, uh, share the joy of Christmas-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … to make sure that children, uh, had the opportunity to experience the same magic at Christmastime-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Gregg Gardiner: … that you and I did growing up-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … being able to open up a toy.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: And, um, it's a real meaningful point in a child's life, you know-
Scott Hammond: Sure
Gregg Gardiner: … uh, to, to have something at Christmastime, and it's also meaning for the… for, meaningful for their parents who-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … you know, are, are struggling and may not be able to do that, but to be able to,
Gregg Gardiner: uh, interact with their child at Christmastime and be able to give them a beautiful
Gregg Gardiner: gift-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … uh, really is magic.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: And, and so that's part of it. We also believe that that's gonna, you know, help make them a better part of society as well.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: You know, uh, i- imagine waking up on Christmas morning and not having anything, and-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … what that would be like for you.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, I mean, just right then at that moment, it's devastating.
Gregg Gardiner: But it, it doesn't get any better when you go out and you're talking to your friends in the playground, and-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … "What did you get, Scott?" And-
Scott Hammond: It wasn't bike, yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … Scott says, "Well, uh, hmm," or he makes up a story 'cause he doesn't-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … wanna be embarrassed.
Scott Hammond: That's right.
Gregg Gardiner: And you carry that with you your whole life.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, and we believe it's an opportunity to, to, uh, to help fix some of those, uh-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … those problems and, and to help, uh, help children enjoy the-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … the beautiful, uh, Christmas spirit and Christmastime.
Scott Hammond: I love it. Uh, well said. So, uh, h- how are the toys collected, and how are they distributed?
Gregg Gardiner: Well, it's… Those are great questions. Um, back, going back to 1948, so it started there, and then, then over the years, the program has grown across our great nation.
Gregg Gardiner: And-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … um, now there's 830 coordinators just like me across, across our country-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Gregg Gardiner: … delivering over 23 million toys-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Gregg Gardiner: … across our nation.
Scott Hammond: Wow, and you're the coordinator for Humboldt County, correct?
Gregg Gardiner: I am. I am. There, there are different size coordinators.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: There's small, there's medium, and large. We're considered large.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: There's extra large, and then there's jumbo.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … jumbo would be like Atlanta-
Scott Hammond: Sure
Gregg Gardiner: … you know, where they're doing 200,000 kids. Um, last year, and we have two programs, but in our main program, we did over 8,000 kids. Uh, in our Native American program, we did an additional 2,000 kids. So, so we do a little over, uh, almost, m- by the time we put both together, about 11,000 kids.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Gregg Gardiner: And, um, and, and, and the program has grown.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, you know, when we started off, uh, when I took over the program, uh, as coordinator, uh, uh, you know, we had 367 kids, so it's grown a bunch. But many of those early volunteers are still with us today.
Gregg Gardiner: Um-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Gregg Gardiner: … back in the mid-'80s, uh, a guy by the name of Bob Gooch,
Gregg Gardiner: who's-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … you may have met Bob.
Scott Hammond: I know Bob.
Gregg Gardiner: Bob is a retired gunnery sergeant and also retired from the sheriff's department.
Scott Hammond: Shout out to Bob Gooch. Hey, Bob.
Gregg Gardiner: So Bob and his wife, Nancy, Bob was here on recruiting duty at the time.
Gregg Gardiner: He kind of-
Scott Hammond: Oh
Gregg Gardiner: … came back home and, and, um, a fellow friend of his who, uh, was a motorcyclist had collected some toys and brought them to Bob-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … and said, "Will you help hand 'em out?" Bob didn't know about the Toys for Tots program at that time, but-
Scott Hammond: Oh
Gregg Gardiner: … he quickly learned.
Gregg Gardiner: And, um, and as he learned, uh, you know, the program grew, and then of course Bob got transferred.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And the program was, you know, sort of dormant for a while, and then-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Gregg Gardiner: … the Marine Corps League took it over and-
Scott Hammond: Huh
Gregg Gardiner: … and, uh, uh, did a little bit. And then, um, and then I came along, you know, a few years later and-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … uh, around 2005, and f- I've been involved in the program since
Gregg Gardiner: 2005.
Scott Hammond: Quick aside, you, were you part of Honor Flight too, taking World War II vets
Scott Hammond: back to-
Gregg Gardiner: One of the most, uh, wonderful things I've ever had the privilege to be involved with. Uh, uh, Steve Justice and I co-chaired Honor Flight-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Gregg Gardiner: … and we took about 400 veterans back to Washington, D.C.-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Gregg Gardiner: … to see the memorials that were created in their honor.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, uh, we've done the World War II and Koreans, and we're, uh, looking at, uh, trying to get it, uh, started again for the Vietnam vets if, if we can get Honor Flight National to support us, so.
Scott Hammond: That'd be great.
Gregg Gardiner: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. No, I… Was, was the le- M- Marine Corps League also involved in that?
Gregg Gardiner: Well, as, as, as were so many members of our community.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: You can't do anything like that unless the community comes back and supports you,
Gregg Gardiner: and the-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … community overwhelmingly supported that effort.
Scott Hammond: Oh, that thing, that thing was amazing.
Gregg Gardiner: So.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. Good on you guys for doing that.
Scott Hammond: So, uh-
Gregg Gardiner: It was our honor
Scott Hammond: … so I, I have a Toys for Tots story. We, uh, had a lady come in yesterday from Masonic Hall, and she, uh, on behalf of all the gals in their, um, I forget, the, the Camellia, uh, Cadre. Anyway, they brought in, uh, you know, half a dozen toys, and she, she was putting them in, in the barrel very carefully and, and wanted to make sure that we understood where those came from, and I couldn't have thanked her more. And it's just heartwarming to be part of the team, be part of the cycle. So, um, let's, let's talk about that. So distri- distribution of barrels, so we have a, a barrel and, and a, uh, a coin can, which I, I wanted to bring my can in here, but for, for a prop to show what would those look like so that people would know where to put the money. Uh, but so those are distributed. Tell me more.
Gregg Gardiner: Well, when you're, when y- the program has grown to such a level, it takes all kinds of different things to, to make it work to make sure that, you know, we don't have to wake up on Christmas morning knowing that someone who needed a toy didn't get a toy. Sure. So, so that's always been a concern, and in our early days there were some of those mornings, and those are just gut-wrenching things. Yeah. You work real hard and can't do it. Uh, as we picked up sponsors along the way, um, uh, you know, we've been able to, to do that.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, some years back, uh, we… And we have a lot of wonderful sponsors. I'll just name a few of them. Please do. But, um, our, our, our main sponsors are, uh, is, is Blue Lake Casino and Blue Lake Rancheria. Mm-hmm. Um, Arla Ramsey, uh, initially saw our program and wanted to get behind it, and they've been behind it ever since that. Mm-hmm. And, and, and so they've, they've helped us in so many ways. One of the great things about Toys for Tots is if you donate to Toys for Tots on a national level, 97% of the money that people donate actually goes to- Wow … buying a toy. That's amazing. 3, 3% goes to, uh, fundraising expenses. No percent goes towards salaries. Wow. No percent. But here in Humboldt County, uh, that 3% is picked up by Blue Lake. Oh. So if you donate money to us in Humboldt County, first of all it stays here- Mm-hmm … to be spent here- Mm-hmm … for kids that live here. Wow. And, and second of all, uh, every dollar, 100% of it goes towards buying a toy. So there's no overhead at all here that's done by that because Blue Lake Casino has so been so gracious and so- Yeah …
Gregg Gardiner: generous, uh, to do that for us. And, um, uh, they've just been a wonderful partner. That's so cool. We're also blessed to have a great partnership with Green Diamond. They give us a warehouse space throughout- Mm-hmm … the year, so, um, we, um… And, uh, again, with Blue Lake's help we're able to buy some toys in- Mm-hmm … you know, in late February and March, you know, for, you know, 20 or 25 cents on the dollar because- They're on sale … they're on sale. Yeah. And so because of, uh, the, the great people at, uh, Green Diamond Resource Company, we have a place to
Gregg Gardiner: keep them. And, um, well, the, the Christine and Jalmer Berg Foundation have been huge supporters and- Mm-hmm … I, I mean, uh, there's a list goes on and on, uh, of, of folks that have, uh, supported us. Recology. Mm-hmm. Um, uh, Murphy's Market. Uh, Humboldt Moving & Storage- Mm-hmm … this year jumped in, and tell you a little bit more about that. Humboldt- I see Cal Poly … Cal Poly's, uh- I see Cal Poly on there, yeah … uh, they had a, a basketball game where the admission was a toy. Wow. Uh, and Santa Claus was there this last weekend. And, um, well, of course we've had Rotary who's been involved- Mm-hmm … from the very beginning. Um, Eureka Natural Foods,
Gregg Gardiner: Hilfiker's, um- Call out Tracy Day. I see her on your list. Tracy Day as well. Shout out- You bet … Tracy Day. Lot, lot of folks, uh, have, have been, uh, out there helping us. Um, Coast Central has been a great supporter. Oh, they're great. Um, uh, um, Schaefer's Hardware, Jack and, and his team, Jack Ricky and his team- Great guy … have been great. And, and of course, uh, McKinleyville Ace, uh- Mm-hmm. Kevin … uh, Kevin has been- Mm … incredibly good to us. Picky Picky Picky, O&M Supply. Um, you know, and the list just goes on and on and on. Sure. And, and we couldn't do this program- Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … without them. Mm-hmm. But we also couldn't do it without, you know, small individuals too. Sure. It, it takes that village. Um, I can give you a quick story just to segue if you like. Uh- Sure. Go for it … uh, um. So, so last year, of course, we had the experience with the Grinch who tried to steal Christmas. Yeah, retell that story 'cause not everybody re- rem- might remember or know that story. Well, it was, uh, um, around, uh, December the 8th or thereabouts, it was a Friday night that this, this thief, uh, broke into
Gregg Gardiner: the, to the warehouse facility where we're at and stole a truck from White Church Construction and- Mm-hmm … uh, used a bolt cutter to gain access into the warehouse, and used our forklift to load up a semi load and, and, and off he went crashing through the gate. Wow. And, um, incredible police department that we have and the sheriff's department got behind it- Mm-hmm … along with Humboldt County Drug Task Force and- And found him … well, they, we didn't know about it. We didn't report it till Sunday- Mm-hmm … or till Saturday. And then, but by Monday night at 5:00 they had apprehended him. So I mean, they went after it. They had 16 officers involved to try to catch the Grinch who tried to steal Christmas. Well, anyway, to make a long story short, they didn't c- there wasn't a lot left to collect. The, the, the, that, those guys have a wonderful distribution network, better than most retail stores. They can move stuff pretty quickly.
Gregg Gardiner: Crazy. Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: So, um, anyway, so there was a lot of publicity about the Grinch that tried to steal Christmas from these kids, and our community, our community- Yeah … just came together. You know, they're- Shout out … oh, my gosh, h- how wonderful.
Gregg Gardiner: Yeah. Well, anyway, so, um, one of the folks who works so diligently with the Jalmer Berg Foundation, uh, who, who, who've been a contributor of our program in the past came and, and, and asked me if I had some time. And of course I have time for all of our s- all of our sponsors. Sure. That's, that's what I do between October and December. Of course I got time. So she comes up the stairs and presents me with an incredible check. And- Really? Wow … uh, oh, my gosh, I could, I mean, I could hardly, could hardly talk- Your jaw was dropping … you know, to, to, to fill all that stuff out. Probably crying. Uh, uh, there was a tear. Yeah. There was a tear. Absolutely. And, uh, so, so, uh, juxtapose that to- Mm-hmm … uh, about two days later a guy comes and he's knocking on the door. You've been to my office. Sure. You know, and, and he doesn't come up the stairs, you know, so it's hard to hear him, but bang, bang, bang. He's not, not letting go, so I happen to go down there and here's this, this, this gentleman who's obviously down on his luck. He's got holes in his jeans and, and They're not designer jeans.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, and, um, and he, and he says-
Scott Hammond: I like the distinction, yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: And he says, "You know, I, I, I wanna do something for Toys for Tots." And he reaches in his pocket-
Scott Hammond: Huh
Gregg Gardiner: … and he pulls out a crinkled, wrinkled $20 bill.
Scott Hammond: Huh.
Gregg Gardiner: And, and he gives that $20 to me. And I says, "You know, the spirit of Christmas is alive within you, and I'm so gracious, and I so much appreciate-"
Scott Hammond: Sure
Gregg Gardiner: … "this, this donation."
Scott Hammond: Thank you.
Gregg Gardiner: And he says, uh, uh, "Thank you." And I said, "But you know what? I really want you to take this $20 bill, and I want you to go down," our office is on Myrtle Avenue, "down to Murphy's Market and get yourself some lunch, and just know that you've done a wonderful thing this year, and it's a great thing."
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And he looks at me with tears in his eyes and points to the heaven. And he says, "What you don't know is when my mother was raising us, we had nothing."
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: "And my mom got her toys from Toys for Tots."
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Gregg Gardiner: "And you have to let me give you this $20 bill."
Scott Hammond: Yes, you do.
Gregg Gardiner: So-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … that's the spirit and the joy-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … of Christmas, and it's-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … part of th- why people wanna give, because they want their, uh, the next generation that's growing up-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … you know, to have the same kind of experiences and joy that we have.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Gregg Gardiner: And that, that's just one of the examples. Other, other great examples, too, of giving and sharing and-
Scott Hammond: Cool
Gregg Gardiner: … I'll share another one since I'm on that story.
Scott Hammond: That's a cool story. Got a… Hey, you got another story?
Gregg Gardiner: So we're at, uh, you know, we, we do these, uh, places where we have, you know, we hand out the toys to the parents. Part of our deal is, is that, uh, uh, you know, the parents have to come in and select the toys for their kids.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, and, and our cadre of volunteers is huge, and we have over 150 volunteers that in different spots of our program work-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … whether they're collecting toys at Target, whether they're picking up the boxes, whether they're working in the warehouse, or whether they're at the distribution center where the parents come in and get the
Gregg Gardiner: toys. The reason for that is we want the parents to have some skin in the game.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Gregg Gardiner: We want them to be able to select the toy that they think is right for their kid, rather than us just give their kid a toy. They actually get to select those toys and those gifts-
Scott Hammond: Right. Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … for their kids. So, um, put yourself in one of those distribution sites now.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, you know, we have, we'll run,
Gregg Gardiner: you know, couple thousand people through these distribution sites, uh, particularly the, the McKinleyville site that covers McKinleyville and Arcata and, and the Eureka
Gregg Gardiner: site.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And we're getting towards the end of the third day, you know, where we're distributing those toys, and, and we're down to our last Tonka truck, the last one.
Scott Hammond: The very last Tonka.
Gregg Gardiner: And there are two moms that are going for the Tonka truck.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, one relatively large Black woman and one r- super thin, um, uh,
Gregg Gardiner: Asian woman.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, um, the Black lady gets there before the Asian woman does.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And she puts her big arm around that toy, and she's got it.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And the Asian lady doesn't say a word, not a word.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Gregg Gardiner: She just stands there. And after about 15 seconds, the tears just start to roll down her eyes.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: She was, just had, I m- you could tell, you know, sometimes you just get thrown curves in your life that you just can't figure out,
Gregg Gardiner: right?
Scott Hammond: Mm. Amen, brother.
Gregg Gardiner: And, and, and, and this for her, you could just tell, was, like, almost the last
Gregg Gardiner: straw.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: "Oh, my gosh, I can't even get my son, you know, the gift that, you know, that he would like." We all saw this.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: We all saw this. And that large, rather large, wonderful Black lady saw it, too.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: She took that truck, and she handed it to that, that woman, and she says, "You
Gregg Gardiner: know-
Scott Hammond: Love it
Gregg Gardiner: … my son probably could use something else this Christmas. I think this belongs to your son."
Scott Hammond: Nice.
Gregg Gardiner: And, and there's stories like that-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … Scott-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … all the time. Uh, there's, there's, there's just something about the goodwill in people-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … that, that, that shows and shines, and, gosh, I've had the opportunity to see that. And part of it is our community.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: I will say that. I, I don't think there's a more giving community, more caring community anywhere I've lived.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, but it, it, it goes down from the top, from some of the, you know, the, the, the most significantly important people in our community to some of the most impoverished.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: And it's, it's about the joy of giving.
Scott Hammond: I love it. That's well said. So walk us through the, the toy cycle in terms of how, you just didn't start this, this machine up two weeks ago. This goes all year long. So maybe on a calendar basis or a timeline, how, uh, when the buckets are distributed, the barrels, the distributi- distribution, and then kind of walk us through the circle of, uh, time.
Gregg Gardiner: Well, good question. Um, so, um, we, uh, um, we're, we've been doing it long enough now that we've made connections, uh, in, in many, many places that have helped us be able to
Gregg Gardiner: identify, um, great deals on toys-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … in, in the first quarter of the year.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: So, so, um, I'll go, uh, to, uh, uh, there's a discount show and i- it's called the ASD Show, and I'll go there, and, uh, I'll buy toys-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … at 20, 25 cents on the dollar.
Scott Hammond: Perfect. Is that Vegas or somewhere?
Gregg Gardiner: It, it happens to be in Vegas.
Gregg Gardiner: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Gregg Gardiner: It's called the ASD Show, and it, it's, uh, uh, it, it's where the stuff that didn't sell last year goes.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Gregg Gardiner: That's where it goes. And it's not just toys. They have other things as well.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Gregg Gardiner: But of course, I'm focused on toys. Well, I don't have any money at that point, at that time of the year. I haven't raised any money, right?
Scott Hammond: You're broke. Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: I'm broke, so I go in there. But I've c- we've been so blessed, you know, to have, uh, established these great relationship with, with some of these vendors and
Gregg Gardiner: wholesalers-
Scott Hammond: Sure
Gregg Gardiner: … that they'll actually hold out stuff for us-
Scott Hammond: Oh, really?
Gregg Gardiner: … to have me look at and give us first shot.
Gregg Gardiner: And then-
Scott Hammond: Huh
Gregg Gardiner: … and then carry us until we c- we've collected enough money to pay for it.
Scott Hammond: So you pay the bill.
Gregg Gardiner: So it's been, it's been a wonderful thing. And of course, Blue Lake has helped with his, uh, uh, y- uh, in- incredible amount-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … with what they've been able to do to help us as well be able to do that.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Gregg Gardiner: So the, over the years, the toys, we, we were able to give more toys and nicer toys-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … than we were, uh, you know, back 18 years ago when the program started.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: So, uh, so that's great. And also, you know, the, our, our, our mainstay volunteers, you know, we're all over 70.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, there's, uh, three of us that are, are Marines, two retired Marines and,
Gregg Gardiner: than me.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, and, um, and then, uh, Bob Gooch's wife, uh,
Gregg Gardiner: Nancy-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … has been part of the program, and, and they work tirelessly in the warehouse all
Gregg Gardiner: year long.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, so I mean, when I say all year long, I mean, they're talking thousands of hours
Gregg Gardiner: that-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … they donate-
Scott Hammond: Sure
Gregg Gardiner: … uh, of their time-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … as well, and the program just wouldn't exist without their kind of love and dedication.
Scott Hammond: Nice couple. They're great.
Gregg Gardiner: They're wonderful.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: We lost a couple of-
Scott Hammond: You're, you're over 70?
Gregg Gardiner: Huh?
Scott Hammond: You're 70?
Gregg Gardiner: Yeah. 75.
Scott Hammond: Unbelievable. I thought you were 60.
Gregg Gardiner: We lost a couple of great people this year that helped us out a lot.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, a guy by the name of Alan Mann.
Gregg Gardiner: Alan Mann-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Gregg Gardiner: … uh, uh… Just a great guy. Worked in our warehouse-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … uh, diligently and unfortunately… Uh, and his wife, Karen Mann, w- ran our, uh, our, was our volunteer coordinator.
Scott Hammond: Alan's a nice man.
Gregg Gardiner: A- and so-
Scott Hammond: She's terrific.
Gregg Gardiner: Yeah. So she took time off to help us and, uh, to help him.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, and of course, uh, and then one of our Marines, Jose Gonzalez, uh, his wife, Mary Jo, said she'd take over.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Well, wouldn't you know it that unfortunately, the, one of the tragic things this last year was, uh, that Jose also came down with cancer.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And we, we lost those guys within a month of each other.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, a- and, and, and n- n- both really dedicated people to our program. And, uh, and w- the lesson out of that is, is that y- you know, we're not here forever.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Gregg Gardiner: We're, we're just not.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: And, um, I think my mom said it best. She says, "You know, when, when, when it's your time-"
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: "… and, and you, you get up to the pearly gates-
Gregg Gardiner: … and you're talking to Saint Peter, just make sure you made this world a little better place-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Gregg Gardiner: … than, than you found it."
Scott Hammond: Well said.
Gregg Gardiner: And certainly those two guys made it a lot better place, and, and-
Scott Hammond: Amen
Gregg Gardiner: … they're, they're, they're very missed.
Scott Hammond: Shout out.
Gregg Gardiner: And they've helped thousands and thousands of kids, so-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … so lo- love them both and miss them both.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, but, um, so, so we buy toys, and the toys come in.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, and, um, w- they go to the warehouse that Green Diamond has given us.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Our team, uh, goes in and breaks down those toys and separates it by age and gender so we know what we have.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, um, w-
Scott Hammond: So there's a system that exists, pre-exists for years-
Gregg Gardiner: Yep
Scott Hammond: … as to know where, how to, how to sort this stuff.
Gregg Gardiner: Well, I think part of it is, uh, you know, you know, the, the, from a logistics point of view, uh, both Bob and Bill, uh, had a big part of that when they were in active duty service in our Marine Corps.
Scott Hammond: They did, yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: Yeah. So, so they, they, uh, they developed that system. I can't take any credit for that.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Gregg Gardiner: That's, that's all those guys.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, well, anyway, so, so the toys come in throughout the year, and, you know, we're able to buy those, and then, um, starting in October, we, um, uh, you know, we start s- putting out the Toys for Tots boxes that you see everywhere.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: We have 100 locations, uh, you know, where those boxes are across our-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … our vast, uh, territory. And, um, and signage and so forth-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … that kind of stuff. And then we also have, uh, uh, sites where we'll have volunteers out, uh, you know, interacting with the public.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: You'll see them at, uh, Target, and you'll see them at Costco.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, and, um, and you'll see them out with that, with the sign that says, uh, "Help a child. Get a toy."
Scott Hammond: Where they sell toys, they could bring and drop a toy.
Gregg Gardiner: That's the concept.
Scott Hammond: The idea.
Gregg Gardiner: They can drop a toy, uh, or they can contribute in cash, or they can drop a check-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … or they can donate online. We have all ways you could do that.
Scott Hammond: Let's talk to that. So if, if I whip out my Visa card right now, and, you know, here's my Chase card, could you, can you run a card and take money?
Gregg Gardiner: Right now.
Scott Hammond: Right now. How about-
Gregg Gardiner: Just give me that card.
Scott Hammond: How about… Here. This guy's fast. Uh-
Gregg Gardiner: So the, the concept, the, the-
Scott Hammond: So, okay
Gregg Gardiner: … the program is phenomenal.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: It's run through, uh, Toys for Tots, the national program.
Scott Hammond: Gotcha.
Gregg Gardiner: But, but all the m- all the money that's, uh, comes from Humboldt County stays in Humboldt County for Humboldt County kids.
Scott Hammond: Gotcha.
Gregg Gardiner: So you're not, it's not going somewhere that you don't-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … want it to go.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, and, and, uh, it's pretty special. It's a, it's a great program.
Scott Hammond: So more forms, forms of currency real quick. Uh, cash is okay.
Gregg Gardiner: Cash is okay. Checks are okay.
Scott Hammond: Checks. Uh, we-
Gregg Gardiner: Donate online, or you can always donate a toy.
Scott Hammond: D- And then there's the toy.
Gregg Gardiner: And w- and we want you to donate a toy. I wanna tell you one other thing about that toy, though, 'cause I had this situation a, a couple times that's developed.
Gregg Gardiner: So I've had people say to me, "Well, you know, uh, you know," it's part of their family tradition to go out and shop for a toy for a kid.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, and, and so they say, "Well, you know, maybe you could buy it cheaper than
Gregg Gardiner: I can." So, so I wanna talk about, let's just hypothetically talk about that Tonka truck.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, or it could be anything, though.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Gregg Gardiner: And so, yet maybe I could buy it at 20, 25 cents on the
Gregg Gardiner: dollar. But, but that family that went out and thought about that child, spent the time-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Gregg Gardiner: … bought that toy, talked about the meaning of Christmas, and bring that toy and put it in our
Gregg Gardiner: box.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Gregg Gardiner: I gotta believe that that one Tonka truck has love attached to it.
Scott Hammond: Yeah, absolutely
Gregg Gardiner: … just has love attached to it. So it, it depends on what's right for you.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, uh, the, again, it's that spirit of giving.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, uh, however we get it, whether it's a, a, an individual toy-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … or whether it's a contribution, uh, it's, it's the intent behind it, it's the spirit behind it that makes-
Scott Hammond: Love it
Gregg Gardiner: … it works.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: And we're happy, of course, to take the donations and, and ma- stretch those donations as far-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Gregg Gardiner: … as we can. And frankly, we couldn't do the program without it.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: But, but it, it takes that combination.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: It takes that combination of that $20 bill that we got from that guy that was
Gregg Gardiner: homeless-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … you know, or, or an individual toy or a large donation that we get from the Christine and Jalmer Berg Foundation or Blue Lake, uh, Casino in Rancheria.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: It takes that combination. Every quarter is important.
Scott Hammond: Absolutely, yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: Every dollar is important. Everything counts, and we make sure that everything gets used appropriately.
Scott Hammond: That's great. That's great, and it stays here. So let's come back to the, the arc of, uh… So you've been dona- Y- you shopped in Vegas. They're warehoused. Now we're fundraising through the summer months. The, the, the barrels are distributed. And, and then, uh, take us, take us home. What's the rest?
Gregg Gardiner: Well, so then, um, uh, you know, we, we start collecting the barrels and-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … uh, the to- the barrels, the boxes. They're boxes now.
Scott Hammond: That'll be next week or two closer to Christmas.
Gregg Gardiner: Yep. Yeah, yeah.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, and, um, but we start, uh, distrib- uh, distribution is already started.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, s- so because our territory is so big, um, we have actually 14 different places-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … where we distribute toys to.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: It's really difficult, for example, if you live in, for example, Wichita.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Gregg Gardiner: You know, to come into Eureka to pick up your toys.
Scott Hammond: It's a long ways.
Gregg Gardiner: Yeah. So, so, um, so we put distribution centers that are close to,
Gregg Gardiner: you know, towns and villages-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … throughout our whole territory-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … uh, to make it reasonable on the parents and not cost the parents a bunch of
Gregg Gardiner: money.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Gregg Gardiner: And in all those different locations, we have volunteers that are there to help the parents get those toys.
Gregg Gardiner: Set-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Gregg Gardiner: … you know, set, set up so, uh, the toys up so the, there's a selection for the parents.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Gregg Gardiner: But also, you know, to help the parents zone in on what's appropriate for their, uh, individual child.
Scott Hammond: So they kinda concierge this thing a little bit.
Gregg Gardiner: They do.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: And, yeah, it'll be like this weekend, you're welcome to come by and take a look at what we're doing in our, uh, in the McKinleyville Shopping Center.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: It's pretty amazing, really. They check in. We, we work also with the, uh, um, uh, the Humboldt County, uh, Office of Education and all of the
Gregg Gardiner: schools.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, uh, the schools have the ability to go into a secure
Gregg Gardiner: website, and they can put the, uh, parent's last name and the age and gender of the child so we know what to take to each place.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: There is no litmus test for what makes a child eligible.
Scott Hammond: Yep.
Gregg Gardiner: You know, we say free or reduced lunch, but the schools know if a family's having a hard time.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Gregg Gardiner: They can see that stuff. So they send out a message to the parents, and they let the parents know, "Okay, Toys for Tots are coming up. Do you wanna be involved?"
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, and then if the parents say yes, then the schools can enter them, or they can, um, uh, along with any other children that, that they may have at home that fit within our age category-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … which was zero to 13.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, we also reach out to all the social service, uh, agencies-
Scott Hammond: Oh, good. Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … whatever they are, to make sure that they-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … that if they need something, we're there for them. Uh, we have another program that reaches out to parents that happen to be involved in m- maybe reha- rehabilitation. Maybe it's drug or alcohol or something-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Gregg Gardiner: … like that, and they're in a program.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, so we wanna make sure that those parents have a gift, um, when they get to see their kids-
Scott Hammond: Absolutely
Gregg Gardiner: … on Christmas Day to keep that bond going.
Scott Hammond: The recovery community, yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: We, uh, uh, we work with the foster parents to make sure that those kids
Gregg Gardiner: get toys.
Scott Hammond: Love it.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, uh, I, I don't think there's any… Uh, and I'm probably missing some of the…
Gregg Gardiner: Oh, uh, one of the most fun days I had was just
Gregg Gardiner: yesterday.
Scott Hammond: What happened?
Gregg Gardiner: So, um, for years, for over a decade, we've been working with C- Glen Paul School.
Scott Hammond: Yep. Love it.
Gregg Gardiner: And Glen Paul School is a school that, uh, takes care of se- severe and profound, uh, children with disabilities.
Scott Hammond: Yep.
Gregg Gardiner: And they're a fabulous school, and the school secretary, a gal by the name of, uh, Jean Sheldon, has been working with us for years. We came up with a program a little bit, uh, uh, well, uh, uh, about a decade ago, and, and that was, uh, that the school teachers for those particular kids-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Gregg Gardiner: … would actually go online to a special, uh, vendor that we have called Discovery Toys-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … uh, who makes-
Scott Hammond: Sure
Gregg Gardiner: … rugged, uh, sorta STEM toys, but you can get it from a low level to a high level depending on where you are.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And they work through that catalog, and they buy the toys specifically for that child's-
Scott Hammond: Oh, that's cool
Gregg Gardiner: … a- ability.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, for example, a severe, uh, severe autistic kid, you may not wanna get him a drum set that's gonna put him over the edge.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Gregg Gardiner: So they know the right gift to give them.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Well, anyway, yesterday, uh, Santa Claus came to Glen Paul School.
Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.
Gregg Gardiner: And Santa Claus handed out the kids', um, uh, toys. And, uh, you know, it's just a special moment. It's a special moment. You know-
Scott Hammond: Oh, that's great
Gregg Gardiner: … the, the kids' eyes light up and-
Scott Hammond: I can imagine
Gregg Gardiner: … um, and they have… So, so we, we, those are the kind of programs-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … that we do to make sure that we-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … we have reached the community.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. I got a program for you when we're done here. I'll let you know.
Gregg Gardiner: Good.
Scott Hammond: My son goes to HCAR. He did go to Glen Paul, and they're a bunch of really special folks. And so these guys appreciate it like nobody's business.
Gregg Gardiner: Oh, they do.
Scott Hammond: Yeah, 'cause their hearts are super pure.
Gregg Gardiner: We also now do the same thing with Early Beginnings. That's, uh, another program-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … that, uh, you know, they try to c- If a child has some learning problems or some issues-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … they try to identify it early and so.
Scott Hammond: So I have a question. So you've identified all these audiences and, and the needs and those that can get you to the need. Do pe- can people walk, walk on or is it invite-only? Are there people that could, with a need, that showed up at, at, and get a toy for their kid?
Gregg Gardiner: Well, so, so, um, when you have a program this big, uh, and you have distribution points, you know, throughout, throughout the
Gregg Gardiner: region, um, you gotta kinda know
Gregg Gardiner: what-
Scott Hammond: Sure
Gregg Gardiner: … they need so you can have the toys there.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, we've never said no.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: We've never said no. Um, the, the, the one thing that we do try to keep is, um, we do try to keep a handle on what we call double-dipping.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: And, and so, uh, you know, people might sign up under two or three different programs. Um, our software, uh, you know, catches most of those. Uh, some get through.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Gregg Gardiner: We're not the toy police.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Gregg Gardiner: And if the worst thing in the world happens at Christmastime, if some kid gets a few extra toys-
Scott Hammond: Would be the end of the world
Gregg Gardiner: … life is not bad.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: This is not bad. This is this is the-
Scott Hammond: There's-
Gregg Gardiner: … kind of problem you wanna have.
Scott Hammond: It's a universe of abundance.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: It's a butt, yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. I like that.
Gregg Gardiner: I like the way you think.
Scott Hammond: So, so, so distribution, you get all the, all the barrels.
Scott Hammond: Um, so will these, these that are gathered toward the end of the year, will some of them go into next year to the warehouse? Or will they-
Gregg Gardiner: Not much. Uh, there, there's-
Scott Hammond: So they, they're gonna be busy elves for the next week or so.
Gregg Gardiner: There, there's a, there's a slight bit of carryover, but, but-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Gregg Gardiner: … not much. And we'll talk about the literacy program too, if we have time.
Gregg Gardiner: But-
Scott Hammond: Sure
Gregg Gardiner: … s- so what happens is, is so they'll come into our distribution center, let's say this weekend in, uh, uh, this weekend in, uh, McKinleyville.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: They'll come in and, uh, we'll have their name and we'll, we'll, we'll know who their kids are. They come in, we register them.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Gregg Gardiner: We have a little slip of paper that's filled out that says age and gender, and it's, you know, it's zero to three and four to seven, so forth. And as they check in, we'll check off their kids and, and we'll actually have a volunteer that will shop with the parent-
Scott Hammond: That's great
Gregg Gardiner: … and take the parent to the section where the toys are for
Gregg Gardiner: that-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … particular kid.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Gregg Gardiner: So a gift for a three to five-year-old is one thing, but a gift for a 13-year-old is something else-
Scott Hammond: Yep
Gregg Gardiner: … to make sure that we're fulfilling the right gift for the right age and gender of that child.
Scott Hammond: Absolutely.
Gregg Gardiner: And so you'll see, you know, lots of volunteers. Uh, you know, collectively, we have over 150 volunteers-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Gregg Gardiner: … throughout the program, 150 volunteers. It's really incredible.
Scott Hammond: I just think of logistics, though. So you get them from the warehouse at, at Green Diamond and get it out to McKinleyville. You're… That's schlepping a lot of toys.
Gregg Gardiner: Well, you know, this year, uh, uh, we're blessed to have people in the community that help us. This year, just to move toys, you know, we've, we're blessed to have Bettendorf Trucking-
Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … who, who comes in with their semis-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … and we load their semis up and, and they take out toys for us. We needed to get toys down to, uh, uh, um, uh, Mendocino-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … and, and a little bit into Lake County, some Native American kids in Lake County. And, uh, John Garrick from Humboldt Moving & Storage jumped up and said, "Yep, I got that."
Scott Hammond: Shout out to John.
Gregg Gardiner: We needed to get some stuff over to, uh, uh, Weaverville-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … uh, to the Lion's Club over there, who, who does our distribution over there. And, and, um, Furniture Design jumped up. Jay and his team jumped up to deliver-
Scott Hammond: Jay Stolz
Gregg Gardiner: … those toys.
Scott Hammond: Way to go, Jay.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, and, and, uh, uh, and the list goes on.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, I mean, trucks donated to us from, uh, Schaefer's-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … uh, uh, who's helped us, uh, who, who gives us, uh, uh, trucks to
Gregg Gardiner: use.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, Elk Valley Nursery. Pete at Elk Valley Nursery has, has given us trucks. Uh-
Scott Hammond: When you say Elk Valley, so you have some distribution in Crescent City?
Gregg Gardiner: Well, yes, we do. Up, up-
Scott Hammond: Beautiful
Gregg Gardiner: … up, yes, up through-
Scott Hammond: Wonderful
Gregg Gardiner: … Del Norte County.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: Yeah, yeah.
Scott Hammond: 'Cause there's plenty of need up there.
Gregg Gardiner: There is.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: There's no shortage of need.
Scott Hammond: Yeah, we're, we're not running out of the, the need.
Gregg Gardiner: We're, we're not running out of need.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: Yeah. And, and you know, there's, uh, uh, there's a lot of economic pressure on people-
Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … particularly in, in, in California. You know, we have, uh, uh, and I'm, uh, this is not political statement, but we have high taxes.
Scott Hammond: Gas prices.
Gregg Gardiner: We, we have high gas prices.
Scott Hammond: Housing.
Gregg Gardiner: We have high housing prices. We have high food prices. We have all that stuff.
Gregg Gardiner: And so-
Scott Hammond: That's just fact
Gregg Gardiner: … it, it is-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … it is, uh, uh, when, if you're living on s- a limited income, you have to make some decisions about what it is you're gonna buy or not gonna buy.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, and many times that's really heart-wrenching for many folks.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Gregg Gardiner: And imagine what it is if you're in that position and it's Christmastime and you know there's just no money to buy those toys. And I'm just grateful, I'm, I'm honored that we're able to help-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Gregg Gardiner: … those families, uh-
Scott Hammond: I love it
Gregg Gardiner: … i- in our community.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: The community that we all love.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. I love it. So the distribution happens, people get their
Scott Hammond: toys.
Gregg Gardiner: Yep.
Scott Hammond: And yeah, do it all over again.
Gregg Gardiner: Yes, we do.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: It, it's, uh, it's, it's, uh, really amazing.
Gregg Gardiner: I think, um, if we switch to just one topic, one of the things that we do need to look towards in the future for this program is, um, we, we, we need some help. Uh, like many of the nonprofits and organizations like us, uh, social civics organizations,
Gregg Gardiner: um, the, the next generation that normally steps in-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … is so busy working, raising their kids and family, and under the same economic struggles that we-
Scott Hammond: Right
Gregg Gardiner: … just talked about earlier, Scott, that it's difficult for them to volunteer. And it worries us. It worries us because, um, uh, the, the program… And, and we talked about our own, you know, our own mortality.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: The, the program needs to live beyond our mortal- mor- mortality.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: It needs to go to the next generation. And, and, and so folks that are interested and, uh, there's So many opportunities to volunteer and become a part of our program. From the simple thing like collecting a toy in front of Costco to help picking up the-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … the, the boxes that are-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … spread across our region full of toys, to working in the warehouse, to administrative help, to fundraising help-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … to, uh, public relations help.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, uh, there just is, uh, so many opportunities out there for folks to work.
Scott Hammond: So call you, you'll find somebody a job.
Gregg Gardiner: Well, there's no shortage of opportunities.
Scott Hammond: Sure, sure.
Gregg Gardiner: No shortage of opportunities.
Scott Hammond: So tell us how to do that. What do you, um… Uh, uh, is the same website the same site we can volunteer and give money, and… Why- why don't you do the shout-out on that stuff?
Gregg Gardiner: You can do all of that on our website.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: It's toysfortots.org, and you'll drill right down to us. So the first thing is, is, uh, you wanna find out,
Gregg Gardiner: you know, where, where, wh- where, where, where's my community?
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: The first thing comes up state-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … and California, and then the next thing, all the counties come up. You click on Humboldt-
Scott Hammond: Okay
Gregg Gardiner: … and everything is there, whether you wanna request a toy or whether you wanna donate a toy or-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … you wanna volunteer, everything's there.
Scott Hammond: Nice.
Gregg Gardiner: But there's also, you know, you can just pick up the phone and call me, 707-834-9595.
Scott Hammond: 834-9595.
Gregg Gardiner: Yep.
Scott Hammond: That's-
Gregg Gardiner: We'll find a place for you
Scott Hammond: … 834-PA-BUCKET. That's what Steve, Steve Justice used to
Scott Hammond: say.
Gregg Gardiner: Yeah. I love Steve Justice.
Scott Hammond: 822-PA-BUCKET. I'm going, "What is… Wait, how do you do that?" So hard, let's do hard stop. Break, break. Ready? Gregg, you get to do the quiz for, I know you don't take gifts usually, but you're gonna take one of these 'cause Kathy might really like it. It's a ginger snap milk chocolate Dick Taylor bar, folks. Right here. Ready? Question num- number one. You get to go anywhere with Kathy for dinner, where do you go in Humboldt County?
Gregg Gardiner: Well, that's, that's an impossible answer.
Scott Hammond: Like, well-
Gregg Gardiner: We have… Well, let, let me…
Gregg Gardiner: I, I mean-
Scott Hammond: Name, name three or-
Gregg Gardiner: Oh my gosh
Scott Hammond: … pick one.
Gregg Gardiner: Oh my gosh. We have so many great restaurants.
Scott Hammond: We have.
Gregg Gardiner: We have so many great restaurants, and I love them all. I, I wouldn't put one above another one 'cause I wouldn't… Uh, and I do go out to them, and I, I really love them all. Uh, and so my, my answer would be we have so many restaurants in Humboldt County that it's-
Scott Hammond: Good point
Gregg Gardiner: … really hard to choose 'cause they're all so fantastic.
Scott Hammond: Okay. Good, good call. Uh, number two. You decide you want to have a cocktail just randomly. Like, where would you go for a cocktail?
Scott Hammond: And you can-
Gregg Gardiner: Well, there's so many great bars- … in Humboldt County. There's so many great bars-
Scott Hammond: Why did I know that's-
Gregg Gardiner: … and so many great places to go, and I've seen you-
Scott Hammond: Servers
Gregg Gardiner: … I've seen you at a few of them, and-
Scott Hammond: Never
Gregg Gardiner: … we've been able to share a, a happy hour drink or two, and, and, um, I think, you know, the thing about going out to eat and the thing about going out and having an adult beverage with friends-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … I, I think there's a, there's a, a relationship that develops.
Scott Hammond: That's right.
Gregg Gardiner: And, and that relationship comes to play when you need
Gregg Gardiner: things.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Uh, you know, whether they need something as friends or anything, you wanna be there for them, and all the rest, and you, and you find out about their families and, uh,
Gregg Gardiner: and-
Scott Hammond: Com- it may be comfort. It may just-
Gregg Gardiner: You gotta do all of that stuff.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: And so, so I think that's the, that's the main joy we get out of that.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And we have a lot of wonderful establishments, and no, you're not gonna get me to name one over the other.
Scott Hammond: Well, let's go with something more innocuous. Where do you go for a, uh, a, a day, a, a day with Kathy out in the, in, outside, outdoors in Humboldt? Where would you, where would you go on that, that great map over there?
Gregg Gardiner: Well, uh, uh, you know, we're-
Scott Hammond: What do you guys like to do?
Gregg Gardiner: We're, we're blessed because, uh, for a couple different reasons. Uh, we live in an, an unbelievable, uh, area that has just, uh, blessed by the hand of God, frankly.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: It has.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Gregg Gardiner: And, um, being involved in the publishing business for years, we've had the opportunity to, to find all the little nooks and crannies that are out there.
Scott Hammond: You've seen it all.
Gregg Gardiner: We've seen it all, and we've enjoyed it all, and we still do.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: I mean, we'll… It, it… A- and again, I it's not that I'm trying to avoid the
Gregg Gardiner: question.
Scott Hammond: No.
Gregg Gardiner: It's just that how do you, how do you, how do you put one unbelievable, wonderful thing over another?
Scott Hammond: You can't. Yeah, there's no way.
Gregg Gardiner: I mean, y- y- you got the trees. You got the Pacific Ocean.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: You got incredible mountain range.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: You got raging rivers.
Scott Hammond: Just for the record, either you're, you're really flying through this test really well, or you, or you've not answered any questions. I think… But I think he's doing great.
Gregg Gardiner: Good.
Scott Hammond: So, uh, let's, uh, let's, let, let's wrap and, and, and, uh, we'll do the shout-outs in just a minute. What would you, um… A- and this is counter to what you've asked, but what would you like us to say about you at your memorial? What, what's your legacy? What's your t- tombstone? Just maybe briefly.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, I think my mother said it best, uh, when we were growing up. She said, uh, "When you get up to see St.
Gregg Gardiner: Peter-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … uh, just leave the world a little b- better place than when you
Gregg Gardiner: found it."
Scott Hammond: That's a good word. I was gonna c- I was gonna counter that earlier. Uh, so you- you've brought it back up. Joanie's father said, "No one gets out of here alive." So that was a little bit more pithy.
Gregg Gardiner: Well, he's right, you know?
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: Mortality is, uh, faces us all.
Scott Hammond: It's pretty much 100%, yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: And, and you know, when we're gone, um, I mean, our families will remember us and, you know, and all the rest, but if you go out in the cemetery and you're taking a look, you know, there's guys that have been there for quite a while.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: And, um, and, and individually, individually, the, you know, they get lost, you know, in history.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: They just do. But the things that they did in their life can carry
Gregg Gardiner: on-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … and make a difference.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And that's one things we think that Toys for Tots can do-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … and other things can do that. By giving back to your community-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Gregg Gardiner: … you're, you're, you're promoting your legacy.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: You know? You may no longer be attached to it-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … but the guy upstairs knows.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: He knows that you did your part.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Gregg Gardiner: And that's what we're all here to do-
Scott Hammond: I like that
Gregg Gardiner: … is do our part.
Scott Hammond: I like that. And, and when you do that in a team environment You can really make an impact, whether it's Honor Flight or Toys for Tots. And, uh, so parting shot, uh, what's… How do we get ahold of you guys again? And let's, uh, uh, w- how do we get ahold of you, and how let's Toys for Tots. So just for, for r- repetition, go Gregg.
Gregg Gardiner: Sure. ToysforTots.org.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, easy to find us. Uh, easy to find Humboldt County. Drill in, tell us what you wanna do, and we'll be there for you. You can always call me at 707-834-9595.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: Um, there's opportunities all year long, uh, for those folks that are interested.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: All you have to do is, uh, is give us a shout-out, and we'll find a place for you. The organization needs you. The organization will appreciate you.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: And, um, one thing that you'll get if you do volunteer for us is when you wake up on Christmas morning-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … and your eyelids open up, you'll be able to have a smile on your face-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … and you will know that you helped a deserving child.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Gregg Gardiner: There's not much better feeling than that.
Scott Hammond: Hmm. Love it, man. Giver's gain. Um, I wanna close the show and then thank you. Thanks for, uh, watching, listening. Uh, Scott Hammond, 100% Humboldt on all the podcast platforms. Do you know we're on Access TV?
Gregg Gardiner: I do now.
Scott Hammond: You do. You do now. Uh, YouTube, and, uh, thanks to Nick Flores, the, the producer magnifique. Uh, please repost, share, subscribe to us. Um, tell your friends. And, uh, oh, I forgot to award your chocolate. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, for my new best friend, and thank you for coming, and you passed the quiz r- with radiant colors, uh, a Dick Taylor Ginger Snap Chocolate Bar for the holidays.
Gregg Gardiner: Thank you. And I have one last thing to say.
Scott Hammond: Oh, pl- I knew you would.
Gregg Gardiner: I would. So I want you to help a child get a toy.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Gregg Gardiner: And on behalf of Toys for Tots, and on behalf of Santa
Gregg Gardiner: Claus-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Gregg Gardiner: … merry Christmas.
Scott Hammond: Merry Christmas. Thanks, Gregg.