LorMet Community Credit Union donates to fill gap in Chronicle toy drive

ELYRIA — The Chronicle-Telegram's Not-Forgotten Box toy drive got an unexpected boost, as a total of 1,181 toys and other items were donated Thursday. With the deadline for toys looming, and the drive well under its 8,000 toy goal, LorMet Community Credit Union contacted Publisher Bill Hudnutt to make a unique donation. The company has long supported Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio, which serves families in Lorain, Erie, Huron and Crawford counties, but after email, social media posts and articles noted the gap between the total toys collected and its goal, LorMet President/CEO Daniel Cwalina knew the company had to step in. "We couldn't imagine a child not celebrating the holidays," Cwalina said. "... When we saw the goal, we felt we had to step in to make a child's holiday special." LorMet provided funds for Hudnutt and head of maintenance Kevin Hill to do some last-minute shopping at Walmart on Tuesday and Wednesday. Together, the men picked out Legos, Hello Kitty toys, Nerf guns and dozens of other gifts, filling The Chronicle's lobby with nearly 300 items toward the Not-Forgotten Box's toy count. The donation brought the toy count to 5,349. "It's cool for them to say, unsolicited, 'We want to close that gap,'" Hudnutt said. On Thursday afternoon, Cwalina, First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Shavena Brown and Marketing Director Andrew Krieger stood in the middle of the haul, each happy to bring some Christmas magic to families in need this season. "We represent the communities that we serve and we're honored to do so," Cwalina said. LorMet will celebrate its 90th anniversary in January. Since 2016, the credit union has contributed more than $254,000 to Second Harvest, including $35,000 raised this year through the bank's member match campaign. LorMet has credit union branches in Elyria, Amherst, Wellington and Avon Lake. LorMet was not the only donation to create a flurry of activity in The Chronicle's lobby on Thursday. Staff from Elyria's EMC Precision dropped off dozens of toys, nonperishable food and about $190 in monetary donations from the 63 employees on Northrup Street. Account specialist Tina Knapp said about half of the company's employees live in the area and were happy to donate to those in need in their city and county. The Chronicle's Not-Forgotten Box has spanned nearly 70 years and, since starting with a simple goal announced in a December 1957 edition of the newspaper, has continued to provide toys, clothing and food to families in need this holiday season. Toys, clothing and food donated to the drive will be distributed to families in Lorain County through a partnership with the Salvation Army Corps. in Elyria. The Not-Forgotten Box drive runs through 5 p.m. today. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.