The Wireless Zone in Medford Township is partnering with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots this holiday season by allowing customers and local residents to make donations of unwrapped toys for needy area families.
The Wireless Zone, better known as Verizon Authorized Retailer-The Wireless Zone, has opened the doors of its location at 5 Wilkins Station Road, Suite 104, to help the holiday cause. The Wireless Zone is the largest Verizon franchiser in the U.S., with more than 400 locations selling company technology, accessories and products. The Medford location has a box for donations to Toys for Tots in place through Dec 15.
The Wireless Zone has been partnering with the Marines on Toys for Tots since 2008. A local Toys for Tots chapter coordinates with each area store to provide a donation box, according to The Wireless Zone’s owner, Tajesh Patel, who bought the Medford store location in 2019 right before COVID.
“With the pandemic, everything has gone up in prices recently, so people are being priced out of just basic supplies,” he noted. “With everything just increasing … it’s very important (to know) that the families who were struggling already before the pandemic are really struggling now during this time. So its even more an urgent cause that we collect the toys and then give those back out as soon as possible.”
Patel hopes other businesses and people will be inspired to pay it forward.
“One of the things is that during this year, the last year and a half, people have stopped doing a lot of things,” he explained. “They’ve cut spending; some businesses have gone out of business, so a lot of the charitable stuff has been cut also.
“So hopefully by us continuing this, other businesses, other families, other people who are in a better position see this and they continue something also,”
