Group gathering toys for kids in Puerto Rico

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With the holidays fast approaching, it is easy to get caught up in the frenzy of it all.

And it's easy to forget that many kids in Puerto Rico may find nothing under the Christmas tree.

Many families are still struggling, four months after Hurricane Maria devastated the island.

That’s why The Puerto Rican Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Polk County and Just Care are collecting toys. So far, they have more than 1,000.

Unlike many bigger organizations, that plan to deliver presents to metropolitan areas like San Juan, the toys from Polk will go to outlying areas that otherwise may have been overlooked.

Maria Torres will be bringing toys to her hometown of Ceiba.

“I may need a few tissues, but it will make me happy to know that I could help,” Torres told FOX 13.

The toy drive is just the latest effort for local Hispanic organizations to help the people of Puerto Rico.

When the storm first hit, the Puerto Rican Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Polk County sent crates of basic supplies over. It has also held a seminar at Southeastern University in Lakeland to help Puerto Ricans settle into Central Florida.

This Saturday, December 16,  there will be a job fair at Southern Technical College in Winter Haven catering to Puerto Ricans who have been displaced. It will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.