Carnegie Mellon University engineering students and University Police collected more than three dozen barrels of toys for the U.S. Marine Corps' "Toys for Tots'' campaign. The students and police presented the toys to Marine Corps personnel on December 5th.

The students provided the marines with a total of 450 toys, an increase of 150 more toys than in 2006. Students collected both toys and monetary donations across campus. They even painted The Fence to publicize their effort.

"This charity means a lot to us because we understand how lucky we are to be here. It is important for us to be able to give something back to the community," said Aneesh Devi, vice president of the College of Engineering's First-Year Advisory Board, which supports and promotes events that benefit first-year engineering students.

Toys for Tots was established in 1947 by the U.S. Marine Corps to help less fortunate children during the holiday season. John Wiss, an adjunct professor of mechanical engineering, said the event is just one of the many ways that Carnegie Mellon is contributing to the greater Pittsburgh community. "The students and our University Police have worked very hard to collect toys and donations for this event," Wiss said.