Nascar vehicle makes a Toys for Tots stop at Byram UPS Store

Byram - Christmas came a little early this year for Nascar fans in the Byram area, and those fans helped to make this holiday season a happy one for many local needy children. On Sunday, Dec. 9, Dale Jarrett’s racing machine, #44 Camry was parked outside of the UPS Store located in the Byram Shopping Plaza as part of the Toys for Tots campaign. Don Pollard, owner of the store, was thrilled to be part of the campaign. “The car just came from our store in Chester where we did very well collecting toys.” Pollard is sure the Byram location will do just as well. “We are proud to be associated with Tots for Tots,” Pollard admitted. Toys for Tots is a holiday campaign that collects toys, then distributes them locally to deserving children. Toys for Tots serves over 15.1 million children nationwide and is run by the United States Marine Corp. The UPS Stores are the second largest fundraisers for the campaign. The car drew crowds of young and old to see the Camry. This nationally recognized vehicle is somewhat of a local success story. It was designed by twelve-year-old New Jersey resident, Vincent Giacalone, who won the “Champion Cup” in the “Design Dale’s New Ride” contest. More than 1,500 children between the ages of 5 and 12 entered the national coloring contest which encouraged kids to create a new design for the car. With “Toys for Tots” emblazed across the hood, driver Dale Jarrett said, “I hope this special paint scheme will help draw attention to The UPS Store Toys for Tots campaign and encourage fans to help deserving kids this holiday season.” Jarret has been the honorary spokesperson for The UPS Store/Toys for Tots campaign since 2005. As for Byram residents and Nascar fans, Connor Alpaugh and his dad, Allen, found the event worthy of gift giving while peeking through windows, pointing at the paint and even smelling the engine. Zachary and Zorianna Myers of Hopatcong stood on their toes to be able to deposit their gifts into the collection box, but were just as excited about the hot cocoa being served inside of Pollard’s UPS Store. A quick pit stop to see the car was virtually unheard of: Many parents needed to pull their children away from the spectacular racer after it became apparent that the enthralled little ones would never leave its side if it was up to them. It was a good day for all, helping others, raising awareness and giving fans opportunity to see a real Nascar up close.