BETHEL, Ohio — The Bethel-Tate Fire Department and the Village of Bethel Police Department have launched their annual Christmas Toy Drive, collecting new, unwrapped toys for children ages 4 to 12 through Dec. 5.
Toy and monetary donations can be dropped off at either agency, the fire department said in a Facebook post. The drive began Nov. 11, according to a flyer the department shared online, and donors can also give through Venmo, with checks made out to the Bethel-Tate Fire Department.
The drive will culminate in an open house at the firehouse, 149 N. East St. in Bethel, on Dec. 5 from noon to 4 p.m., held alongside the village’s Down Home Christmas celebration. Residents are invited to meet local firefighters and police officers, enjoy hot chocolate and cookies, and help fill a fire truck and a police cruiser parked at the station with donated toys, according to the department.
All toys collected will go to Bethel-Tate Local Schools, which will distribute them to children in need in the district, the department said.
The Bethel-Tate Fire Department operates out of Clermont County’s Station 2 under Chief Chris Cooper, responding to roughly 2,100 fire and EMS calls a year — the seventh-highest call volume among Clermont County’s 15 fire departments. The department holds an ISO Class 3/3Y rating, a measure of fire protection capability that places it in the top 12% of departments nationwide.
Down Home Christmas is an annual holiday celebration in the village of Bethel, featuring open houses hosted by local businesses and organizations alongside other seasonal activities.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Bethel-Tate Fire Department.