Contact: 1^st Sgt. Jonathan Green, 410-537-7724

BRING YOUR TOYS FOR TOTS ON YOUR COMMUTE DEC. 9 - 11

BALTIMORE, MD - Join the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Police, MDTAstaff and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves in the national Toys for Tots campaign at the Baltimore harbor crossings. Since 1990, MDTA employees have collected more than 142,000 toys from customers of the toll facilities and the Port of Baltimore.

From Wednesday, Dec. 9 - Friday, Dec. 11, from 6 to 9 a.m. and from 3 to 5 p.m. daily, employees will collect new, unwrapped toys at the Baltimore Harbor and Fort McHenry tunnels (I-895, I-95) and the Francis Scott Key Bridge (I-695) in Baltimore, and also at the Bay Bridge (US 50/301), the Gov. Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge (US 301), the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge (US 40), the Intercounty Connector (MD 200) and the Dundalk Marine Terminal.

"We are excited about this opportunity for all of the Maryland residents we serve to donate toys for those less fortunate," said MDTA Executive Director Milt Chaffee. "Each year, the men and women of the MDTA look forward to this holiday tradition."

Toll facility customers who wish to donate toys should use the far-right toll lane and follow directions from Santa, uniformed MDTA police officers or MDTA staff. (Note: This includes E-ZPass^® customers who wish to drop off toys.) The MDTA Police remind drivers to keep safety in mind as they approach toy drop-off sites. Toys may be dropped off during scheduled times only. Toll collectors are unable to accept donations in the toll lanes.

Toys collected at the Baltimore-area facilities will be given to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves base in northeast Baltimore for distribution.

For more information on the MDTA's collection efforts, visit mdta.maryland.gov. For more on the Toys for Tots program, visit toysfortots.org. For real-time updates on major incidents follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/TheMDTA. Find us at facebook.com/TheMDTA.