The Greater Boston Toys for Tots drive officially began Monday with a donation from Mayor Martin J. Walsh — a “Frozen”-themed snowcone maker.
The toy will be one of thousands that the nonprofit organization collects this year, said Marine Corporal Vin Dolan, a spokesman for the charity.
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Toys for Tots, which is run by the US Marine Corps, collects toys to provide gifts for the holiday seasons to needy children across the country, Dolan said.
A new feature of the drive this year will be a Christmas tree in the third-floor lobby of City Hall in Boston, where people can drop off toys.
Dolan said the organization received more than 162,000 toys for the greater Boston area last year, and this year he expects the City Hall tree to “definitely help increase the amount of donations.”
Greater Boston Toys for Tots disperses the toys it collects to various organizations around the city — such as church groups, Boys and Girls Clubs, and the Boston Housing Authority — which then distribute them to needy families.
At the kickoff ceremony Monday, Walsh said City Hall is “committed to collecting more donations than before.”
“The holidays are a time for celebrating and bringing together family and friends. But we always need to remember that this is also a really difficult time for so many families,” Walsh said.
The mayor said that toys would be accepted in City Hall during business hours, from Dec. 1 to 15.
According to the Toys for Tots website, people who want to donate can also, from Dec. 1 to 13:
— Deliver toys in person to their warehouse at 23 Dry Dock Ave., 8th floor, Boston, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday;
— Mail toys or money donations to Greater Boston Toys for Tots at P.O. Box 391, Weymouth, MA 02190;
— Bring toys to every State Police barracks, as well as most fire stations, and participating Walgreens stores and Bertucci’s restaurants.
Toys should be new and should not be in wrapping paper.
“Every child deserves a little Christmas!” the website said.
Trisha Thadani can be reached at trisha.thadani@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @TrishaThadani.