MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Call him sergeant. Or call him Santa. Either moniker works for Sgt. Tim Lee.
Like Santa, Lee ? the point man for the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program here that officially kicks off this weekend ? is spearheading the donation, processing and delivery of toys to legions of children.
And, like Saint Nick, he's overseeing a small army of elves ... eh, make that Marines, family members and civilian volunteers. His infrastructure includes a workshop ... rather, a warehouse, where workers will assemble Dec. 1. They'll sort and box toys right up until two days before Christmas, stoking an outreach that last year delivered 30,000 toys to 14,500 children in and around North County, he said.
Unlike Santa, who wears red, has a long beard and is getting up in years, Lee is 35, clean-shaven and decked-out in cammie green. And never mind reindeer; he has trucks to get the toys to the tots.
His drivers are already making daily runs to donation bins on base, where some folks have already showed the holiday spirit by dropping a new, unwraped toy in the bin.
"We just started putting the bins out last week, and we're already starting to get some donations," Lee said Nov. 18.
This week, five drivers ? three of them Marines devoted full time to Toys for Tots this time of year ? are making regular stops at 125 donation locations throughout North County and Southwest Riverside County, said Lee, who's coordinating the drive here for Marine Aircraft Group 46, Detachment A.
Most of those donations come from individuals, but heavy hitters are onboard the charity train, too. For example, Best Buy has donated $500,000 in merchandise to Toys for Tots nationwide. That includes 50 portable compact disc players and 50 TV/radio hybrids with 5-inch screens processed through Lee's distribution network, he said.
Lee also listed Target and Pizza Hut as major sponsors. At donation stations staffed by a Marine clad in the customary dress blues, donors who hand the Marine a toy will be handed a coupon for a free personal-size pizza in return.
Lee says the Toys for Tots outreach is a legitimate process ? not a blind giveaway. He says civic and social service organizations are already calling his office to request toys for front-line distribution to deserving kids. Those groups must provide names and addresses of children being served. Lee cross-checks those names against lists elsewhere in his region to make sure nobody is double-dipping.
"I put it in a database and bounce it off the information we have," he said. "I need to know so I can double-check ? make sure nobody's taking advantage."
Det. A's outreach locally is extensive ? but three times smaller than the program run by 4th Tank Battalion out of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
Last year, 4th Tanks delivered 49,000 toys to more than 100,000 kids, applying the target ratio of slightly more than two toys per child, Lee said.
Lee, a first-year Toys for Tots coordinator who stepped away from his career planner job in October to play Santa full time, believes both districts will outdo last year's performance.
"Last year, we served 14,000 kids. The year before, 10,000. It's getting bigger every year," he said.
Among the mainstay donors who make such growth possible ? retired and active sergeant majors from around San Diego County. The group has supported Toys for Tots for the last 28 years. Last year at their annual Christmas and Toys for Tots Dinner, they collected 500 toys, according to Val Valentine, a retired sergeant major employed on base.
He explained why Toys for Tots, a charity founded 56 years ago by a Marine Corps Reservist, is important to is group.
"It's joining in the spirit of giving and making an unfortunate child's Christmas be a bright and happy one," Valentine said. "The gift of a shiny new toy shows a child that someone cares and they haven't been forgotten."
That's where Santa ... eh, Sgt. Lee comes in. He figures Santa's job must be tough ? but thinks his might be tougher.
"I don't think Santa's got as many headaches. He's got more elves than I do," said Lee, who figures things will run more smoothly next year with a full campaign under his belt.
Meanwhile, it's crunch time. Lee and his staff are working from 6:30 a.m. to 8 or 9 at night ? and there figures to be little rest over the next month for Pendleton's de facto Santa and his helpers.
"We probably won't see any weekends off until Christmas," said Lee, originally from Fort Smith, Ark. "If I can give 'em a day off, great. If not, we're working."