Old Newsboys Goodfellows raise funds for needy kids

        For one day every year, the Old Newsboys Goodfellows Association has its annual fundraising event. On the first Friday of December, volunteers for the non-profit group are seen with their red plastic jugs hawking an annual charity edition newspaper on street corners and business fronts trying to catch motorists’ attention.
        The group has been devoted to helping needy kids in the Toledo area since it was established in 1929.
        The funds buy new clothing and shoes for needy children via vouchers distributed by school administrators, policemen, firemen and neighbors, according to Danny Knopp, an area sectional leader of the group. It also goes toward the delivery of food baskets to needy families throughout the year, especially during the holidays.
        “We give out 11 $5,000 scholarships to high school seniors,” said Knopp, who has been involved with the group since 1973. Funds are also donated to other local charities that provide assistance to the needy.
        “We have assisted the Toledo Food Bank in emergency relief with over $212,000,” he said.
        E.J. Materni, a lieutenant in the Oregon Police Division, has been a volunteer for well over a decade. Via the division’s internal email system, officers are asked to participate every year, he said.
        “We usually get enough officers to be out there from 7 in the morning until 5 p.m. We try to work in tandem with another officer.”
       
Noble cause
        Bundled up volunteers brave the cold weather to help out.
        “It’s for a good cause,” said Materni. “One hundred percent of what the Old Newsboys takes in goes out to the community. There’s nothing more noble than providing needy children in our community with coats, boots, hats and shoes to keep warm during the winter.”
        Volunteering can be hazardous when working the sidewalks and streets.
        “We hold up the newspapers. People wave us over. We have to go out into traffic so we take all precautions. We wear our yellow vests,” he said.
        People have been very generous with their donations, he said.
        “It’s not uncommon for people to give us $20, $50 or even $100 bills,” he said. “We’ve had people give us several hundred dollars.”
       
Getting aid
        Distributing the aid goes without a hitch, he said,
        “Any school teacher can submit requests for students in need, things like a coat or a backpack,” he said. ”My wife is a teacher. She said any time she has submitted information to the Old Newsboys, the school always gets vouchers back very quickly and they’re able to get the items for the school children. There’s very little red tape involved.”
        Collections, he said, have gone down a little compared to previous years. Last year, the group raised over $160,000.
        “I think part of that is due to the fact that we’ve moved from a cash based society to a digital credit based society. A lot of people just don’t deal with cash,” he said.
        And some of it is due to the pandemic, as some motorists are concerned with social distancing.
        “That’s definitely a component of not having as many people donate this year. Some people are obviously hesitant to have that physical interaction with us to pass off contributions,” said Materni.
        Knopp said the public can still donate to the Toledo Newsboys beyond the one day paper sale.
        Online donations can be made at www.Toledonewsboys.org A PDF file of the 2020 newspaper is available online. Also, donations can be made by texting GIVE to 800-814-5076, or by mail at Toledo Newsboys, P.O. Box 2032, Toledo, OH  43604. For more information, the group can be contacted via email at info@ToledoNewsboys.org