It’s not much, but it’ll do.

Montgomery County’s Toys for Tots was in desperate need of a warehouse, and finally got one.

No matter that a steady drip of liquid falls from the ceiling.

Volunteers keep the donations — from smartwatches to karaoke microphones to makeup kits to plush dolls — out of harm’s way.

So what that two ceiling heaters keep temperatures just high enough for volunteers to sort through the stockpile of toys?

“I’ve been talking to God,” said Elizabeth Scott, who has been leading the effort for six decades. “I’m telling him it’s the changing of the seasons, but could you just keep the temperature at least 40? I can deal with 40 — and no snow.”

The search for a warehouse, as The Banner reported on Oct. 7, has been a recurring problem for the program for 15 years running.

It took more than a month after that initial report to get the space she needed. Scott said this year was salvaged by Charisse Scott (the two are unrelated), a Maryland real estate agent who also runs ComuniBuild, a nonprofit that provides resources to area families and children.

On a recent visit to the nondescript nearly 10,000-square-foot Gaithersburg warehouse, volunteers opened its garage door and the brisk December air swept in. From a trailer hitched to the back of a truck, a group of men rolled out around 100 bicycles and tricycles.

Scott found a spot to park these new arrivals. She double-checked paperwork from one of the workers before sending them on their way with her thanks and then gazed at the once-empty space.

“Oh Lord,” Scott said under her breath. “Give me the strength now.”

She and around seven other volunteers are working six days a week to accept, process and deliver gifts before Christmas.

The charity, part of the Marine Corps Reserve’s gift-giving program for low-income households, would ideally get started in early October, said Scott, 78, who lives in Gaithersburg.

“The work we will get done in here in one day with everybody could almost equal two days,” Scott said. “My volunteers really hustle to make sure all orders are filled.”

2 sacks of toys

Montgomery County is the state’s wealthiest jurisdiction, but tens of thousands of families here seek supplemental assistance for holiday gifts from programs such as Toys for Tots annually.

This holiday season is clouded by economic uncertainty as some county residents grapple with job cuts and income lost thanks to the longest federal government shutdown in history.

Despite the dipping temperatures, the guests who arrived that morning to pick up gifts for the children in their lives expressed nothing but gratitude.

Anthony Twine, who said he had to resign from his nearly 35-year career as a cabinetmaker earlier this year, collected two sacks of toys for his seven kids. His wife has been recovering from a traumatic brain injury after a fall, and he had to drain his 401(k) to ensure his kids are still on track to go to college.

His oldest daughter took care of her younger siblings and “ended up missing her entire senior year” of high school, said Twine, 51.

The toys he is bringing home for his children, who range in age from 3 to 17, are a token of thanks for the sacrifices they made this year, he said.

“It’s been a blessing, especially in this area here,” Twine said of Toys for Tots. “So many resources, so many nice people that actually look out for the community here. It’s just a wonderful thing.”

Close to home

Scott understands the situations some families are facing this season firsthand from her daughter, Nikon Coston, who lost her job as an administrative officer in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services earlier this year. But this setback didn’t stop Coston from volunteering for her shifts alongside Scott.

Other families are worse off than her own, said Coston, 46. “Those people who only make $15, $20 an hour, who still gotta pay their rent and take care of their babies.”

“If we could put a little smile on somebody’s face, that’s the point,” she added.

Coston has been helping out her mother since she was about 6. She still can’t believe how much her mother has to fight every year just to help those in need.

But for Scott, Coston and the rest of the volunteers, the work ahead didn’t feel too daunting in that moment. Their mood was light as the initial swell of visitors calmed down just after 1 p.m. that day. Some took a moment to grab a sandwich or soda before continuing their work.

“They’re tired,” she said about the volunteer staff. “But they come back the next day anew ready to start all over again.”