ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. – Toys for Tots donation drives are happening across the country, but one drop-off spot has encountered a major challenge.
Construction on Jefferson Avenue is making it tougher for people to find their way inside Lake Shore Boat Top Company in St. Clair Shores, and their third annual toy drive seems to be lagging behind last year’s.
Rob Kotowski, president of Lakeshore Boat Top, told Local 4 that he wanted to raise awareness and encourage more donations.
Kotowski shared photos showing large rocks blocking the view of their building, making it hard for donors to spot the location.
“We definitely have some rocks out there that are blocking a lot of the visibility of our building,” Katowski said. “But you know, we’ve been good troopers with everything, and we’ve been doing okay.”
The weather hasn’t helped either, but Kotowski noted that social media efforts have brought some positive results.
“We’ve had a lot of customers reach out to us and even people sharing stuff and just the general public walking in with stuff right in the local area,” Kotowsk said.
The toy drive has become a family tradition for Kotowski and his children.
“They look forward to it every year. They bring their tooth fairy money or their birthday money and chip in a little bit each,” Kotowsk said. “Dad and Mom help the rest of the way with them. They pick out some really cool things that I might not know kids like, but they definitely know what everyone likes.”
For those planning to donate, Kotowski explained how to navigate the construction.
“You can come right through our main driveway, come through our showroom, and we have a box here with generous donations of all different types of toys that people have dropped off,” Kotowsk said.
Last year, the toy drive collected about 400 toys, and this year the goal is to reach 500.
“We probably have around 225 pieces here in the showroom, so anything else we can get would be great,” Kotowski said.
The donation deadline is this Friday (Dec. 12), when all toys will be delivered to the Marines.
Lakeshore Boat Top is located at 24601 Jefferson Avenue, near 9 and a half Mile Road, right on the Nautical Mile.
“You can’t miss us. We’ve got Christmas lights out front and big Toys for Tots signs,” Kotowski said.
Despite the construction challenges, Kotowski remains hopeful.
“We definitely will get some good news,” Kotowski said.
For those who want to donate toys further downriver, there is a Go 4 It event on Dec. 10, 2025, in Southgate at the Kroger on Fort Street from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
New, unwrapped toys are being collected, and the first 200 donors will receive $10 Kroger gift cards.