Community · Marquette
Marquette families can apply now for the Salvation Army Toy Shop, which served 750 children last Christmas
MARQUETTE, Mich. — Applications are open for the Salvation Army’s Toy Shop in Marquette, which lets parents and guardians who are struggling pick out Christmas gifts for their children at no cost.
Approved families are paired with a volunteer shopper and browse gifts for kids of all ages. This year’s Toy Shop runs Dec. 16 and 17 at NMU’s Northern Center, social services manager Kristina Mutersbaugh told TV6. She said the program served 325 families and 750 children last year and expects more this year. “The cost of gas and food and everything rising this year, this is just a really great opportunity for families,” she said.
How to apply. The Marquette corps lists in-person application hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 1009 W. Baraga Ave. Families with children 18 and younger can apply. Bring a valid photo ID, proof of guardianship for each child (such as a birth certificate), proof of residency and proof of income for adults in the household. Mutersbaugh told TV6 applications will be taken into the first week of December, but spots are limited, so earlier is better.
Approved applicants get their Toy Shop date and time by mail.
To help. The corps relies on donated new toys and volunteers to run the shop. Contact the Marquette corps through the Salvation Army’s website.
Sources:
The Salvation Army, Marquette Corps, “Toy Shop” (application hours, address, documents), https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/mi/marquette/west-baraga-avenue-corps/toy-shop/
TV6/WLUC, “Families can now apply to find Christmas presents at Marquette’s Salvation Army annual Toy Shop,” Oct. 19, 2026 (dates, location, 2025 numbers, Mutersbaugh quote), https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2026/10/19/marquettes-salvation-army-toy-shop-applications-are-now-open/
Photo: Dwight Burdette, “Salvation Army red kettle at supermarket entrance Ypsilanti Michigan.JPG,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salvation_Army_red_kettle_at_supermarket_entrance_Ypsilanti_Michigan.JPG
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