As we enter November and we close in on the end of the calendar year, thoughts drift to Thanksgiving, Christmas, family gatherings and holiday events. We will also think about those who may not be as fortunate as we are. So, in addition to all the holiday parties and family reunions at this time of year, there will also be many charitable events to attend as well.
One such event is happening in Pawtucket RI in early November—and there is a twist to the normal gift-giving season.
The fifth-annual Businesses Give Back for Tots for Tots event takes place on Monday, November 10, 2025 at The Guild Brewery on Main Street, beginning at 5:00 PM.
Admission for this event is one new, unwrapped toy to donate to the cause. Financial donations are also welcome. Monies raised will be used to purchase more toys.
According to Event Organizer Bob Salvas, last year was a pivotal, record-breaking year, bringing in over 1,000 toys!
“I could not imagine we would ever go over 1,000 toys but we got there in four short years,” said Salvas. He is looking to get even more toys this time around. It is no coincidence that this year’s event is on the US Marine Corp’s 250th birthday. “The Marines have come out every year to thank the crowd and pack up all the donated toys.”
The original Toys for Tots organization was started by a Marine Corps Reserve officer, Major Bill Hendricks, in 1947 and the US Marine Corp still run it to this day.
Besides collecting the toys, the night will feature live music by The StrumDawgs and a free BBQ buffet provided by Bugg’d Out BBQ. Last year, The Strumdawgs had a special guest vocalist: Betty Galligan of Full Circle. Betty will be there to sing a couple of songs with the band.
Salvas said he cannot believe the outpouring of support that resonated with local business owners and the community.
“I am eternally grateful for the outpouring of support for this event,” said Salvas. “Area businesses are stepping up once again to help those in our communities who are struggling. The holidays should be one of happiness and cheer. However, that isn’t always the case. We are out there with a mission to put more smiles on people’s faces as the holidays draw closer.”
How did this event begin?
In February 2009, local networker Dan Edmonds was running a monthly networking event in nearby Massachusetts (4th Monday Networking). Each November, he would invite the networkers to bring a new, unwrapped gift in lieu of charging a small fee to attend his networking event. The toys collected would be donated to Toys for Tots. That event took off: The U.S. Marines gratefully gathered up all the donations, and an annual tradition began.
Dan continued with hosting his monthly networking events punctuated by his annual Toys for Tots drive until he stepped down in November 2015.
He handed the reigns over to Salvas, who continued 4th Monday Networking. Dan promoted it online and attended whenever he visited the area. Dan had only one stipulation when handing over the networking event to Bob: Bob had to run an annual Toys For Tots event in November. It was an easy “yes” for Bob, who was already a big supporter of children’s causes.
The 4th Monday Networking and Toys for Tots events continued with Bob at the helm for the next few years. Then the pandemic came in 2020 canceled almost all in-person events. Compounding that bad news was the fact that Dan Edmonds passed away on July 24, 2020.
“In addition to the sadness of losing a good friend that year, I could not even run the Toys for Tots event that Dan cared so much about,” said Bob.
“So, when 2021 rolled around and things were starting to reopen, I made the decision that I needed to do a bigger Toys for Tots event both to honor Dan and to make up for not having one in 2020.”
Bob lined up friends and sponsors to help. He got a venue to donate their space, and he brought in live music and food. Bob knew that to ramp up the toy donations, he needed to make it more of a fun social event than just a networking event.
His plan worked. Over 100 people showed up on Wednesday November 10, 2021, and donated over 200 toys. Even Salvas could not have foreseen what would happen next.
“I originally thought this would be a one-time event, and it would go back to being part of my regular networking events. However, my friends encouraged me to do this again the same way. Everyone who came had a great time and the worthy cause just added to the event. So, I did it again.”
Bob held his second event in 2022 with almost 350 toys donated. Again in 2023 when the event pulled in over 700 toys. Last year, the number of toys donated exceeded 1,000! Everyone will pull together to try to beat that landmark number in 2025!
If you are interested in sponsoring the 2025 event, please contact Bob at bob@bobsalvas.com.
For more information or to register to attend the event, go to https://businessesgiveback.com/
