This Christmas, Judge Tim O’Hare wants to gather as many toys as he possibly can from across Tarrant County.
He’s not conspiring to steal Christmas like the Grinch, but instead looking to make the holiday that much sweeter for children and families in need. And he enlisted a team of holiday helpers to help achieve that goal.
Partnering with about 30 elected officials across the county, O’Hare hosted his office’s first Toys for Tots campaign with the goal of making it the “biggest toy drive Tarrant County has ever seen.” He and other organizers gathered in the Southlake Town Square on Tuesday night to accept donations.
“We try to do something as an office to help people in need, and thought ‘Well, what better thing can we do than partner with someone who already knows how to do it?’ And then use our influence and our social media followers and relationships we have with other elected officials so they can help spread the word, too, to get as many people out here as we could possibly get out here,” O’Hare told the Fort Worth Report.
Through the Toys for Tots program, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve collects and distributes toys and gifts to economically disadvantaged children and families during the Christmas season. Local toy collection campaigns like O’Hare’s across the U.S. gather donated new and unwrapped toys and disperse them to children through nonprofits, churches and other community agencies.
The Tuesday night toy drive’s co-hosts included the other Republicans on the County Commissioners Court, Matt Krause and Manny Ramirez, as well as Sheriff Bill Waybourn, District Clerk Tom Wilder, Tax Assessor-Collector Rick Barnes, District Attorney Phil Sorrells, County Clerk Mary Louise Nicholson and Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne. Promotional flyers also listed the names of supporting city council and school board members from Southlake, Colleyville, Keller and Grapevine.
Marine Corps staff Sgt. Joseph Brown said the drive was especially impactful, as Toys for Tots wasn’t able to raise as many donations this year as it typically does because of the 43-day federal government shutdown.
Usually, Toys for Tots donates about 1,200 toys each to nonprofit organizations, Brown said. This year, the foundation can give only 200-250 toys per organization, and has been forced to turn away private families seeking gifts.
Drives like O’Hare’s help make up the difference in donations, Brown said. He noted that it’s uncommon to see so many elected officials supporting the same drive, as it can be difficult to coordinate their schedules and commit the time to help.
“It shows the community that they actually care about the community and shows that they want to help,” Brown said.
Lisa Ventura, an Arlington resident campaigning for a City Council seat in the May 2026 election, donated several dolls to the toy drive. She said it was important to participate to support children in need but also to support the Marines, as her husband spent six years in the Marine Corps.
She was glad O’Hare organized the effort, and she felt encouraged by the show of support from elected officials across the county.
“I think it’s wonderful that people can come together no matter what they think or believe or feel elsewhere,” Ventura said. “For a toy drive, they can come together.”
About two hours into the drive, O’Hare said he was impressed by the turnout he’d seen so far but that he hadn’t set a specific goal to reach.
“We know how special Christmas is for everybody but especially for children, so anytime you can do something nice for kids and celebrate Christmas, it’s a good thing,” O’Hare said.
After seeing Tuesday’s turnout, he said he plans to make the toy drive an annual tradition for as long as he holds the office of county judge.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
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