METUCHEN - It's all for the kids.

Learning is an Art [LiA], the educational toy seller that uses all of its profits to support highly rated charitable causes, has teamed up with the Mobilization Training Unit New Jersey - 2 [MTU NJ-2] of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve to help the Marine Corps Reserve's 60th annual Toys for Tots drive this holiday season.

"We felt really compelled to help," said Jennifer Fong, co-founder and President of LiA with her husband, John. "Toys for Tots is an amazing organization for the kids, and we have a warehouse [in Raritan Center] that is full of toys."

Fong, wearing a festive elf's hat, along with Rowena MacMahon, director of consultant services for LiA, made a special delivery to the MTU NJ-2's Toys for Tots warehouse on Hillside Avenue on Dec. 5 to drop off a truckload of toys, including Dino Digs, Letter Perfect and World Atlas. Nick D'Andrea, coordinator for the MTU NJ-2's Toys for Tots program, George Orzo, the manager for the warehouse, and his wife, Linda Orzo, assistant coordinator for the program, joined the LiA crew to unload the toys into the warehouse.

This was the kickoff for LiA's road trip to Toys for Tots units across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana.

"Jennifer came to me in August with the idea, and I thought it was a great idea," said D'Andrea, who served with the Marine Corps for 30 years. "The toys [she brings] are educational and will benefit the children. The objective of Toys for Tots is to bring a smile to a child during the holidays and bring them hope for the future."

Fong and Tara Kennedy-Kline, national field services director for LiA, embarked on their trek to make personal deliveries to 16 locations - Toys for Tots units and individual homes - across the four states last week from Dec. 6 to Dec. 10.

"We mapped out how much we could fit in the truck," said Fong. "We're excited to think about how many kids are going to benefit from these educational products this holiday season."

One of their stops was to Washington, PA.

"This is the home of a veteran and volunteer," said Fong. "He told me that he has only one leg, and if I shipped the toys over to him, it would be difficult for him to bring the toys down to the basement. That's when I made the decision that we were going to Washington, PA."

Fong said she hopes to make the road trip an annual event during the holiday season.

Last year, 14,237 children received toys from the MTU NJ-2 Marine Corps Reserve program.

"This year, we should surpass that number," said D'Andrea. "We do some deliveries for individual families and organizations like Camp Kiddie Keep Well, and area hospitals come pick up the toys."

The primary goal of Toys for Tots is to deliver, through a shiny new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to needy youngsters that will motivate them to grow into responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders.

"It all began with a Raggedy Ann doll, which is now the program's trademark," said D'Andrea.

In 1947, Diane Hendricks handcrafted a Raggedy Ann doll and asked her husband Maj. WilLiAm L. Hendricks, a Marine Corps reservist, to deliver the doll to an organization that would give it to a needy child at Christmas.

When Hendricks told his wife that no organization existed, she told him he should start one. And so Hendricks and a handful of Marine reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children on Christmas Eve called the "mini Toys for Tots."

In 1995, the U.S. secretary of defense approved Toys for Tots as an official activity of the U.S. Marine Corps and as an official mission of the Marine Corps Reserve.

The MTU NJ-2, which serves Middlesex County, Somerset County and parts of Union County, will be taking donations until Dec. 14. For more information contact Nick D'Andrea at (732) 906-0110 and visit www.toysfortots.org.

For more information about Learning is an Art visit www.learningisanart.com.

People can purchase an item for Toys for Tots on the LiA Web site.

"We will also send 20 percent of the purchase price of the items you've selected for Toys for Tots to this organization as a cash donation," said Fong.

LiA is also sponsoring a Last Minute Shopping Night to benefit Toys for Tots from 6-10 p.m., Dec. 19, at the American Legion Post No. 65 on Lake Avenue in Metuchen.

The night will include one-stop shopping of a variety of educational games and toys, scrapbooking supplies, jewelry, handcrafted gifts, candles, quilts, makeup and personalcare items, and also attendees can receive discounts to area eateries that night. Star 99.1 FM will also be broadcasting live from 7-9 p.m. with a lot of great free giveaways throughout the evening.

Attendees can also bring a new, unwrapped toy to be donated to Toys for Tots or buy a toy or game from LiA to be donated to the program.

For more information about the shopping night, contact Jirapon Chambers at (732) 548-4367.

In 1995, the U.S. secretary of defense approved Toys for Tots as an official activity of the U.S. Marine Corps and as an official mission of the Marine Corps Reserve.

The MTU NJ-2, which serves Middlesex County, Somerset County and parts of Union County, will be taking donations until Dec. 14. For more information contact Nick D'Andrea at (732) 906-0110 and visit www.toysfortots.org.

For more information about Learning is an Art visit www.learningisanart.com.

People can purchase an item for Toys for Tots on the LiA Web site.

"We will also send 20 percent of the purchase price of the items you've selected for Toys for Tots to this organization as a cash donation," said Fong.

LiA is also sponsoring a Last Minute Shopping Night to benefit Toys for Tots from 6-10 p.m., Dec. 19, at the American Legion Post No. 65 on Lake Avenue in Metuchen.

The night will include one-stop shopping of a variety of educational games and toys, scrapbooking supplies, jewelry, handcrafted gifts, candles, quilts, makeup and personalcare items, and also attendees can receive discounts to area eateries that night. Star 99.1 FM will also be broadcasting live from 7-9 p.m. with a lot of great free giveaways throughout the evening.

Attendees can also bring a new, unwrapped toy to be donated to Toys for Tots or buy a toy or game from LiA to be donated to the program.

For more information about the shopping night, contact Jirapon Chambers at (732) 548-4367.