South End Rowing Club delivers via rowboat for SFFD toy drive

South End Rowing Club delivers via rowboat for SFFD toy drive

The South End Rowing Club brought out its more than 100-year old barges for its annual tradition of collecting toys for children in need.

SAN FRANCISCO - Santa has his sleigh, but toys for some San Francisco children arrived via row boat this year.

From Santas, to elves, to the tiniest toy tester, the South End Rowing Club brought out its more than 100-year old barges for its annual tradition of collecting toys for children in need.

What they're saying:

"It’s just magical, for me it takes me out of my normal day to day thinking and reminds me of what’s important," Vanessa Marlin, with South End Rowing Club told KTVU. 

The more than a century-old club partnered up with the San Francisco Fire Department to bring tons of toys, some even homemade, to SF’s kids.

"We have toy makers in our group. Usually they are working on our wooden boats, but this year they put together wooden toys and painted them. So we have rockers and little push toys," Marlin said. 

By the numbers:

The SFFD toy program started back in the 1940s. 

Now, the department hands out more than 200,000 toys to children in need year-round.

Vivian Corral is only 11 years old, but she’s been a part of this tradition for as long as she can remember. 

Her parents are both members of the club, and they brought her along as a baby. 

"It just feels good to be able to give to other people who don’t have as much as I do. Because living in San Francisco, we are so privileged, it feels so good to be giving to the less privileged," Vivian said. 

Steve MacDonald has been with the club on and off for decades. He carved some of the wooden toys for children this year. 

He says his favorite part of this tradition is the chance for his community to feel a little closer during the holidays.

"It’s just a great unifying thing, and it’s so much more fun," MacDonald said. 

The South End Rowing Club says they collected more toys than ever this year, about six barrelfuls. 

SFFD will be collecting toys through Christmas Day, so if you’re hoping to donate, you can drop toys off at any SFFD fire station.