Again, St. John's Lodge No. 435, Reading, teamed with the Salvation Army and Marine Corps Reserve to make Christmas a lot happier for needy families in the Berks County area. Each year the Toys for Tots project seems to get larger and the Lodge takes over more of the responsibility. This year, St. John's Toys for Tots Committee started $5,000.00 for shopping and with the generosity of many area merchants it turned into more than $10,000.00 worth of merchandise.

St John's was assigned the task of shopping for children from 10 to 12 years old. They purchased 200 sleeping bags, 150 basketballs, 50 footballs, 190 bottles of bath and body supplies, 35 curling irons, 25 hair dryers, 100 watches, 15 baseball gloves and balls, plus assorted toys. Lodge members helped the Marines sort toys and set up the toy room for the big "shopping day." On Saturday, Dec. 15, more than 50 volunteers, all members of St. John's and their families, worked with Marines and area children to pack orders for needy families. About 1,500 families requested assistance this year. Each family receives toys for their children, a full meal including turkey or ham, plus some families receive clothing items through the Angel Tree program.

In addition, many St. John's brethren, wives, and family members helped the Salvation Army by working more than half a day packing 800 food boxes.