The Mars Police Department will collect toys for Toys for Tots during a drive Dec. 4.

Officers will collect toys in downtown Mars to fill a police cruiser for children in need from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. next to the spaceship statue.

Mars borough representatives will hand out flyers about the drive at the upcoming Light Up Mars event Nov. 27.

“It's been quite a few years since we have done it,” said Mars Mayor Gregg Hartung. “Mark, our new officer-in-charge, brought it to the attention of the council, and council thought it was a good idea.”

New full-time officer-in-charge Mark Lint said that he had participated in similar drives during his time working for the Carnegie Police Department. He believed that having the drive in downtown Mars would make it more convenient for people from the surrounding area to donate toys.

“Mars is one of the small towns in the area ... we have the Main Street, and we have the spaceship,” Lint said. “Everybody around us knows where we're at and knows how to get there. If we do the Stuff the Cruiser event on a weekend when people come down, I think it would be a huge win for the kids and I think we could be very successful.”

Lint said he looks forward to seeing toys brought in for the drive.

“I think we could put a lot of toys into the hands of kids who don't have them,” he said.

Donated toys should be new and unwrapped.