When the employees at SMART Alabama, LLC got the word that Santa needed a little extra help in the Crenshaw County area this year, they got busy and put together a toy drive for “Operation Santa Claus,” their third one in as many years.

And it just keeps getting bigger and bigger, according to General Manager Gary Sport.

“They are so excited about doing this, and it really comes from the heart,” Sport said.

This year, the employees on the toy drive team donated over $7,000 worth of items to the Crenshaw County Department of Human Resources: $6,000 in toys, $1,000 in clothes, and $200 in food.

“We did a lot of cooking on Fridays,” SMART employee Ed Landers said. “Employees would buy the meals—they really supported us, even in this economy.”

“I’m a firm believer in blessings,” Landers added. “The Good Lord has blessed us—that was our name for our float in the Christmas parade—‘Unlocking the blessings of Christmas’—and that’s what we’re trying to do—this is what it’s all about.”

DHR Supervisor Debbie Clark thanked the “SMARTians” for their hard work and generous donations.

“They have the biggest smiles on their faces every year when they deliver the toys,” Clark said of the SMART toy drive team. “You can tell they really love doing this.”