“When I realized that it was getting so large, I thought that we should get this to the children before the holidays,” says Ann Benore, a caseworker for Newtown Social Services.

Benore has organized this toy giveaway for all Newtown children and families. There’s a special collection for students of Sandy Hook Elementary School who survived the massacre. She says they’ve received more than 60,000 stuffed animals and thousands more toys…

All toys were first examined by local police; there’s a group of officers standing at the back of the gym. Children ooh and ahh as they enter — and are handed bags. They walk through and choose cuddly bears or games, or both.