JERSEY CITY -- For over two decades, Jersey City fire Capt. Mark V. Lee led the fire department's annual Christmas toy drive to help less fortunate children, a cause he asked his family to carry on before he died last year.
"When he was getting sick, he told us that the one thing he wanted was for us to continue this," said Lee's 30-year-old daughter, Christina.
One of the last phases of this year's toy drive took place today at St. Joseph Church at 511 Pavonia Ave., where dozens of Jersey City firefighters and their families volunteered to gift-wrap thousands of toys.
The presents, which were purchased with help from corporate and individual donors, are expected to be delivered to roughly 4,300 children as Christmas approaches, said the Lee family.
After Lee died last May, the Jersey City Fire Department renamed the toy drive after him. Lee's son, Mark Lee Jr., 29, told The Jersey Journal the toy drive has grown "exponentially" since his father took it over in the early 1990s.
"(My father) just did it out of the kindness of his own heart, just to give back to the community," he said. "When he grew up, he didn't have much, so he always wanted to just give back."
Lee's daughter, Jennifer, and wife, Cheryl, were also at the event, helping to get supplies and direct volunteer efforts.
Jonathan Lin may be reached at jlin@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @jlin_jj. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.