'Tis months before Christmas

And all through our rooms

Lonely toys stay in boxes

Though Christmas soon looms

But the people of Bismarck and Mandan can help

Make Christmas joyful for all girls and boys

By giving new homes

To their old, lonely, sad toys

Monday will be the first day people can drop off their toys as part of the 19th annual Christmas Playpen.

The Bismarck Tribune, Salvation Army, Dan's Supermarket and the North Dakota State Penitentiary collaborate annually to help brighten Christmas for children in need.

People can drop toys off at Dan's Supermarket at 835 S. Washington from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Donations will be accepted from Monday until Dec. 9.

Any working electronics items, such as televisions and stereos, should be brought to the Salvation Army at 601 S. Washington from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Toys will be collected daily and taken to the Missouri River Correctional Center and the New England women's prison. Inmates at the facilities will then repair the toys so they can be put on display at the Salvation Army's Joy Shop.

At the Joy Shop, parents preselected by the Salvation Army can pick presents to give their children for Christmas. Last year, 1,025 children from 410 families received gifts through the program.

Clothing, stuffed animals and toys resembling weapons will not be accepted. Toys broken beyond repair or toys and games missing pieces also are not wanted, and electronics without a back will not be accepted.

"Agame with missing parts doesn't do any child any good," said Brenda Kriedman, Salvation Army director of social services.

Puzzles, books, games and movies are popular, she said. R-rated movies will not be accepted.

Keith Grabowska, director of the Missouri River Correctional Center, said 10 to 12 inmates at the minimum-security facility work on toy repairs. The inmates are interviewed about their skills and how reliable they are before they are put on the crew, he said.

"They really go for it," Grabowska said. "They like to get on the crew."

Inmates at the New England women's prison repair dolls. Last year, they ran out of some of the materials necessary to put the dolls together, such as fabrics and threads. People are asked to donate those items early so they can be used in doll repairs.

Kriedman said the Salvation Army usually ends up short on items for teenagers. Video games, CD players, sports items, skates and other items of interest to older children are always needed, and last year, the Salvation Army spent $700 on items for teenagers that had not been donated.

Makeup and makeup bags also are popular, so new products of that nature also are accepted.

Monetary donations are also welcome. The money will be used for supplies to repair toys and dolls, to buy presents for teens that are not donated and to pay inmates for their labor. Inmates make about $2 a day working on toys, Grabowska said.

Donations can be dropped off at or mailed to the Bismarck Tribune at P.O. Box 5516, Bismarck, N.D. 58506, attention Bobette Miller. Make checks out to Christmas Playpen.

People interested in volunteering at the Joy Shop should call the Salvation Army at 667-9486.

Kriedman said the Salvation Army determines how many gifts each child gets based on the total number of toys donated. The more people give, the more kids get, she said.

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@;bismarcktribune.com.)