Toys for Tots Plans Permanent Great Falls Warehouse

The toy drive's North Central Montana chapter aims to replace its portable shed with a 40-by-60-foot building outside the city.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Philanthropy

Photograph of a plain steel warehouse with an open garage door on flat prairie land outside a city, with a pickup truck parked in front under a wide sky. — Toys for Tots of North Central Montana plans to build a 40-by-60-foot warehouse outside Great Falls to replace its donated portable shed, serving about 10,000 children. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Toys for Tots of North Central Montana plans to build a 40-by-60-foot warehouse outside Great Falls, replacing the portable shed Summit of Montana currently donates for its operations. Summit of Montana owner Eric Weaver plans to have a crew erect the structure.

Why it matters

The program served about 10,000 children across nine counties in 2025, and a permanent space would spare volunteers from moving supplies in and out of storage each year. The change would help a roughly dozen-person volunteer group keep up with the program's seasonal demand.

The program served about 10,000 children across nine counties in 2025 with roughly a dozen volunteers. The proposed 40-by-60-foot warehouse could be erected in about a week to 10 days once materials arrive, weather permitting, though the funding total and completion date were not reported.

The players

Toys for Tots of North Central Montana

A regional chapter of the national Toys for Tots toy-distribution program, which collects and delivers holiday gifts to children in need across nine counties in north-central Montana.

Summit of Montana

A Montana business that currently donates the portable shed the Toys for Tots chapter uses for storage and operations.

Eric Weaver

The owner of Summit of Montana who plans to have a crew erect the proposed warehouse and is coordinating deliveries for the project.

The details

Toys for Tots of North Central Montana currently works out of a portable shed donated by Summit of Montana, and volunteers must pack supplies back into storage after each holiday season. The proposed warehouse would include a large garage door and tables on either side of a narrow aisle, allowing several volunteers or vehicles to move donations at once. Corday Podvin has been gathering local business support and donated materials, and Eric Weaver is coordinating deliveries.

2025: Program served about 10,000 children across nine counties.
Before Christmas: The program aims to deliver gifts to children through families and organizations, including schools.
After the holiday season each year: Volunteers pack supplies back into storage.
This year: Volunteers continue to work out of the portable shed while the warehouse is planned.

Philanthropy Context

The Great Falls effort follows the local-chapter model of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve-run Toys for Tots Foundation, which has run the national toy drive since 1948. Like other regional chapters, this group depends on donated space and volunteer labor, and the proposed warehouse would mark a shift toward a permanent base.

Families and organizations in nine north-central Montana counties rely on this program to get gifts to children before Christmas. Local businesses and residents who want to help can contribute donated materials or volunteer time as the warehouse project moves forward.

The takeaway

A permanent space could let a small volunteer group focus on distributing gifts instead of repeatedly moving supplies in and out of storage. Donations of materials, labor, and deliveries are the practical ways the community can support the effort.