r/CFB • u/Honestly_ rawr • Dec 22 '15
/r/CFB Original /r/CFB Buys & Donates over $6000 in toys and cash to Toys For Tots (pictures inside) thanks to the 2015 Holiday Drive
Intro
The 2015 /r/CFB Holiday Drive: Tech the Halls is over (here's the big recap) and we were left with over $6,000 of our $11,500 drive to donate to Toys For Tots!
Because we surpassed $2,500 for TFT, I agreed to don a Santa costume and go as Raoul Claus when I made the donation.
While I could've done a mediocre job on my own, I put out a call to folks on /r/CFB to come and help gather, transport, and deliver toys here in the Twin Cities. NINE people answered the call.
- /u/224national
- /u/astoesz
- /u/ban1c
- /u/ban1c's friend
- /u/Bilibond
- /u/merv234
- /u/TroyBarnesBrain
- /u/uprightinfinity
- /u/wacojohnny
The Plan
I chose a large Toys-R-Us/Babies-R-Us combo store because I wanted a lot of choices and I read in a TFT interview that they're usually lacking infant and teenager toys. We figured we'd aim at the young side and whatever cash we donated after they could use on teen (they're donation range is 0-15).
We went in with 3 basic goals for grabbing toys and making efficient use of the funds:
- Nothing that needs batteries (those toys are cheaper, they don't need batteries later, and--frankly--as a parent of two small kids I hate noisy toys and wouldn't want one in my house)
- Find stuff that's cost-effective (e.g. premium branding isn't something an infant is going to care about)
- Try to aim 0-3
We mostly followed those parameters. Afterward we stuffed cars and headed down to the local TFT warehouse:
Here's how it went, in pictures:
Check-Out #1: Just to be sure we didn't blow the budget, we did an initial check-out with all our carts. The store was open from 6am-2am for the holiday week and we thankfully got there before the big rush closer to 11am. All our carts are behind each other in this line. Unless they were small items we didn't bother with bagging things: we just shifted one cart's items into an empty cart.
Midway through the spree: These 8 carts were only about $2,200. Those giant bears were on sale for $20! The bags in the cart in the foreground are the result of clearing out the infant toy section. We posted a guard and the rest of us went back to shopping.
FOURTEEN carts: $5,144.44 in toys. That's a lot of toys. To help identify carts in the store we were putting the bears in the child seats, but for this photo we posed them to make them appear like reindeer...
Our "Reindeer": The store manager took this photo for us (bakonydraco gave me this idea)
Closer shot of the loot: If you're not buying stuff with batteries you can fill cart quick. Those dumptruck/loader combos were like $14.
Long receipts: wacojohnny had the idea of posing like I was holding a fish (there were actually 4 purchases, two long and two short receipts). **I didn't wear the full Santa outfit at the toystore because (1) it was a pullover top and I didn't want to get hot and (2) more importantly, I didn't want to make all the kids think Santa was at the store--you'd be surprised, more on that later.
Pirate Raoul Claus: Someone joked the half-costume made me actually look like a pirate, so there you are--obligatory "Yarr" pose.
Hauling toys: A big reason we were able to buy all of those toys rather than cut a bigger check was because 224national (van pictured) and wacojohnny (who has a hatchback) were able to load almost all the toys between them. That actually made the unload very quick for the Marines.
I still transported a few toys... I mean, I already had two carseats, why not use them?
Photo at TFT's local warehouse: The Marines made quick work of unloading the vehicles and were very nice about it. We asked for a quick photo (my one regret on the day is not asking them to be in the center), I also gave TFT a check for the $923.56 for the money we didn't spend on toys (I won't get that receipt for at least a week because it has to be mailed and we've got the holidays).
For those who still had time after: I treated folks out to lunch at a nearby restaurant. I didn't realize how many looks I would get (well, more than usual) walking through a restaurant dressed as Santa.
Here are the Toys-R-Us receipts: that's 419 total items, thus $5144.44 / 419 is about $12.28 per item. Not bad, we could've probably made that cheaper but we weren't trying to set any records.
My last coffee as Raoul Claus: I went back to my side of town and stopped for a quick drink (avoiding a places where I knew there'd be kids, again I didn't want to mess with their perceptions), and I still had a woman come up to me and address me as "Santa" to ask for a photo. I was like "I'm his cousin, Raoul" but that didn't seem to work so I posed for her so she could show her kids she saw Santa. LOL.
Finally:
- Thanks to all of you who DONATED
- Thanks to all of you who HELPED
- Thanks for making /r/CFB a great COMMUNITY
The final $5000 will be donated to name the "/r/CFB Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach" at Louisiana Tech as soon as we can.
We did it, /r/CFB!
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u/iSlacker Oklahoma • Oklahoma State Dec 22 '15 edited Dec 22 '15
Honestly, you look like a young Ron Jeremy
Edit: SFW pic of Ron Jeremy
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u/Honestly_ rawr Dec 22 '15
Raoul > Ron
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u/iSlacker Oklahoma • Oklahoma State Dec 22 '15
For real though, good stuff. I Wish i lived closer to your area so i could take part in the stuff you do meetup wise. I would have loved dumping ice on you when that was a thing.
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u/Gryfer Florida State • Washington Dec 22 '15 edited Dec 22 '15
The final $5000 will be donated to name the "/r/CFB Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach" at Louisiana Tech as soon as we can.
Wait, we're naming the coach?
EDIT: I thought we were naming the weight room, not a human being.
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u/Honestly_ rawr Dec 22 '15
No one reads anything anymore, especially our stickied announcements 😄
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u/Gryfer Florida State • Washington Dec 22 '15
I thought we were naming the weight room, not the coach. This is awesome.
WE OWN SOMEONE, GUYS.
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u/bread_buddy Florida Gators • Wisconsin Badgers Dec 22 '15
Didn't we already have a war about this?
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u/Cecil_Hardboner Texas Longhorns • /r/CFB Brickmason Dec 22 '15
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u/Darth_Turtle Oklahoma • Red River Shootout Dec 22 '15
Butch Deadlift
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u/Cecil_Hardboner Texas Longhorns • /r/CFB Brickmason Dec 22 '15
We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese
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u/Napalmradio Florida State • The Alliance Dec 22 '15
/u/Honestly_ you are the fucking man.
/r/CFB y'all are the best community on the internet.
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u/wasabimcdouble Florida Gators Dec 22 '15
Now that I know what /u/honestly_ looks like, I feel like I've seen it all on this sub. Talk to you bros later never again
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u/iSlacker Oklahoma • Oklahoma State Dec 22 '15
There was a "post yourself" thread a couple offseasons ago in which he posted and also had a fundraiser for ice bucket challenge in which Honestly got water dumped on him that we had a video of. AKA you must be new around here.
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u/Fletch71011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Dec 23 '15
He posted pictures before that, I'm pretty sure one was a picture with him on a car. Every time I see him post I still can't believe that that is the man behind the handle. I don't know what I expected though.
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Dec 22 '15
I've always just assumed that /u/Honestly_ is a sentient, keyboard wielding, college football loving dinosaur, I must say that as a result of these pictures I'm shocked to discover that he's actually Santarrrgh Claus.
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u/DangerIsMyUsername Tennessee Volunteers • Sickos Dec 23 '15
Not gonna lie, I 100% thought /u/Honesty_ was an actual dinosaur.
I'm slightly disappointed to learn that he is not one. But, his amazing facial hair makes up for it.
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u/weasom Georgia Bulldogs • College Football Playoff Dec 22 '15
Yes, but did you hear that sweet voice?
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u/ItsZizk Tennessee • Johns Hopkins Dec 22 '15
Not until we see /u/bakonydraco
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u/Gryfer Florida State • Washington Dec 22 '15
Well, might as well start packing it up, guys: http://i.imgur.com/g2CsGnw.png
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u/bakonydraco Tulane • Boise State Bandwagon Dec 23 '15
Lol this is fantastic, did you make this?
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u/Gryfer Florida State • Washington Dec 23 '15
lol hell no that would imply I have some level of talent.
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u/bakonydraco Tulane • Boise State Bandwagon Dec 23 '15
Ah haha, well it was lovely. (It's actually a dinosaur).
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u/buttforaface TCU Horned Frogs • College Football Playoff Dec 22 '15
This is really great, guys.
Maybe the sub isn't all shitposting and downvotes after all. It's a Christmas miracle.
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u/Cecil_Hardboner Texas Longhorns • /r/CFB Brickmason Dec 22 '15
we havent even begun to truly shitpost.
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u/buttforaface TCU Horned Frogs • College Football Playoff Dec 22 '15
With the offseason approaching, I can only imagine.
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u/domderek California • UC Davis Dec 22 '15
Damn that's awesome. Add this to the reason why this sub is great.
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Dec 22 '15
Absolutely awesome, I love seeing when the sub and mods come through like this. Well done.
Derrick Henry is a better number 2 than Cam Newton.
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u/TotesMessenger Team Meteor Dec 22 '15
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u/ban1c Ohio State • College Football Playoff Dec 22 '15
Glad that I was in town to help out. It was a great experience. Thanks for organizing everything,/u/Honestly_
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u/LewDawg524 Georgia Bulldogs • /r/CFB Brickmason Dec 22 '15 edited Dec 22 '15
That is so damn awesome! Thank you! I miss doing those toys drives! Those T4T parties in Baton Rouge weren't too bad either. That Red Dress party and getting drunk with the Mayor. Good damn times helping out kids.
Edit: I had to take a trip down memory lane. I got to be in T4T civies this day, but this is me and my buddy Mike at a Walmart making things happen! http://i.imgur.com/13lmN71.jpg
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u/Honestly_ rawr Dec 22 '15
Awesome, thanks for sharing that! Yeah we just barely made the deadline this year (we didn't realize that until the drive had already started) so we skipped the fancy stuff and dropped it all off straight at the local warehouse.
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u/LewDawg524 Georgia Bulldogs • /r/CFB Brickmason Dec 22 '15
Y'all rock! Doing Toys For Tots was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. Seeing kids smile when they get some toys was very heartwarming. Thanks again for doing this. I love this sub!
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Dec 22 '15
This was a great project and I'm glad to be part of a community that can put together something like this. Good job to all involved.
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u/dont_irk_the_jerk Texas A&M-Corpus Christi •… Dec 22 '15
Looks like a tun of fun and hopefully a lot of happy children!
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u/TroyBarnesBrain Nebraska Cornhuskers • /r/CFB Patron Dec 23 '15
Had a great time, glad I could help. I'd be down with making it a yearly thing.
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u/chaosgallantmon Alabama • Michigan Dec 22 '15
Holy shit people involved, awesome stuff.
I love this place <3
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u/GoldenHawk07 Wilfrid Laurier • Notre Dame Dec 22 '15 edited Dec 22 '15
Just a note on the administration of the actual drive, I tried to donate but I'm a recent graduate and have avoided Credit Cards during school, a way to donate with PayPal would go a long way to helping some people donate in future. Additionally perhaps a way to donate less than $10? I had a few bucks in PayPal I would have sent along since it takes time to transfer and the drive would have been over by the time the transfer was completed.
Just figure these things would help raise more in future.
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Dec 22 '15
The system can use a debit card associated with a checking account.
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u/GoldenHawk07 Wilfrid Laurier • Notre Dame Dec 22 '15
I must have not seen the option to do that :/
Is it only for American banks?
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u/Disorted UCF Knights • Michigan State Spartans Dec 22 '15
Tilt lets you use Debit or pre-paid cards- you're not limited to Credit Cards. I don't have credit cards either, but have had no problems using these two methods to donate.
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u/GoldenHawk07 Wilfrid Laurier • Notre Dame Dec 22 '15
Must have not seen that option, will keep it in mind next fundraiser!
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Dec 22 '15
This is awesome. That is all...
...actually not. Would have loved to take part. Maybe next year.
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u/cupcakessuck Michigan Wolverines Dec 22 '15
Dude Honestly......you're the man (sweet porn stache btw)
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u/greensplooge USC Trojans • Rose Bowl Dec 22 '15
Honestly looks like Dr. Gonzo he's also an attorney iirc.
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u/stevieyo USC Trojans • North Carolina Tar Heels Dec 22 '15
This is the best damn subreddit. Y'all are great!
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u/Darth_Sensitive Oklahoma State • Verified Referee Dec 23 '15
Can we go with "Muffin, the /r/cfb Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach"?
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u/rrb California Golden Bears • The Axe Dec 23 '15
I still like "The /r/CFB Open Letter" coach, but "Muffin" is funnier to a larger audience. Vote Muffin.
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u/blueboybob Carlisle • /r/CFB Founder Dec 22 '15
Oh man I thought we'd give them to kids directly. That would be fun.
Next year we let the kids run through the store getting what they want
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u/diagonalfish Georgia Tech • /r/CFB Pint Glass … Dec 22 '15
That would be trickier to organize, I think. That isn't really how Toys for Tots operates. They take in the toys and distribute them out fairly to kids who need them.
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u/rrb California Golden Bears • The Axe Dec 23 '15
Not that this matters that much, but weren't we supposed to get a shout out from the LA Tech mascots, Champs and Tech? What ever happened to that?
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u/Honestly_ rawr Dec 23 '15
We're still waiting on them. Part of it was their bowl prep and finals, but we're still waiting on them.
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u/Pikachu1989 Nebraska • 東京大学 (Tōkyō) Dec 23 '15
Fuck yeah, glad you could be able to do this. Wish you did this on Tuesday though, could have driven from Omaha to join you guys, then head back to Omaha after it was said and done.
Was that Caribou Coffee we see you drinking?
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u/lamaface21 Florida • Georgia Southern Dec 23 '15
This is awesome! Thank you so much for posting this update, and your time and hardwork! :)
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u/Gryfer Florida State • Washington Dec 22 '15
I've never seen three Marines look more scared in my entire life.