The spirit of giving was in the air Thursday afternoon as a book club hosted its annual Toys for Tots drive, yielding 150-200 toys for area children in need.

The event, sponsored by Tea and Topics book club and Yankee Hall Plantation, brought 13 United States Marines from Marine Corp Air Station Cherry Point to join members of Tea and Topics, as well as members from 10 other book clubs in the area, for a dinner and entertainment by John Cotton Tayloe’s third-grade choir.

The club’s toy drive was started six years ago, as an alternative to a gift exchange, and after the first two years, Tea and Topics opened the initiative to other book clubs in the community, said Carolyn Wetmore, coordinator for the event. Since its inception, the event has raised around 1,200 toys for children in Beaufort County.

“For me, it’s not only wonderful to give to the children that need gifts, but also an opportunity to honor the military men and women,” Wetmore said. “We love to do that — honor them and thank them for their service to our country. The need is great, and every year, it seems to increase. We try to do our part the best we can, and we’re always looking to expand.”

The United States Marines Corps Reserve started the Toys for Tots initiative in 1947 in Los Angeles, California, and has since expanded nationally and averages around 15 million toys to approximately 6.3 million children across the United States annually, according to the Toys for Tots website.

Rich Morin, Toys for Tots coordinator for Beaufort County, said the local chapter has around 750 children in need this year.

“I’m very pleased about the event (Thursday),” Morin said. “It makes a huge dent in the needs we have for the young people in the area. I’m so appreciative of the book clubs, who came together to support Toys for Tots.”