Photo by Justin Criado

Northside Common Ministries director Jay Poliziani looks through toys that were donated by SMS Siemag and SMS Millcraft LLC Friday, Dec. 5. The North Shore sister companies donated 300 toys this year.

By Justin Criado

The Northside Common Ministries (NCM) received its first toy donations of the holiday season Friday, Dec. 5 when SMS Siemag and SMS Millcraft LLC employees dropped off 300 toys for NCM’s Dec. 20 toy drive.

“This is a total employee donation,” Judi Berrick of SMS Siemag said.

The North Shore sister companies have been donating toys for the drive for the past six years, and support other NCM initiatives.

“Our goal was to find and support a charity in our business community and that’s how we picked the Northside Common Ministries,” Berrick said. “Since they have so many activities that benefit so many people in so many ways we chose them. We help with the food pantry and we help with the toy drive. We help with their fundraising events in the summer and do the best that we can.”

NCM director Jay Poliziani said the company’s donations make up about half of its total donations for the year.

“This is a significant bulk of it every year,” Poliziani said. “We try to connect as much as possible with companies and organizations and churches here on the Northside.”

Nearby churches, St Paul’s in Sewickley and Verona’s St. Gerard Majella, also donate toys. The toy drive gives gifts to nearly 300 families who are served by the NCM Food Pantry, according to Poliziani.

Toy distribution will be Saturday, Dec. 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the NCM third floor at 1601 Brighton Road in California-Kirkbride.

“We’ve done this for as long as the organization has been here,” Poliziani said. “The toys are unwrapped and people can select which toys their kids will like.”

Photo by Justin Criado

SMS Siemag and SMS Millcraft LLC employees (from left to right) Christoph Haustein, Chris Szczypinsky, Judi Berrick and Dave Rigby with NCM resident, Ann.