PADRE ISLAND, Texas — A local woman decided to give back to the community by picking up toys along the nearby seashore.
Corpus Christi resident Evelyn Pless-Schuberth said she found value in the discarded toys that she found.
"I got a grandson and they wanted to visit five years ago first time. And with all the toys I saw every morning I thought, why should I go and buy stuff, he is just a year old, he doesn't care if it's used or not. And then I started to pick up toys," Pless-Schuberth said.
Pless-Schuberth often walks the beaches on the island. For the last five years she has picked up toys she found during her walk that are still in good condition.
Island Italian restaurant owner Anthony Tagliaferro said he is happy to help.
"She bags them up on the beach with these bags they give out for trash, for the litter and all that. And she's a neighbor of my sister's and I thought maybe she could put a couple bags here to pass out. We thought it was a great idea, so we said bring all the bags you can bring," Tagliaferro said.
Fortunately, Evelyn isn’t the only one lending a helping hand on the island.
You go between Island House Condominiums and the pier early in the morning, you'll find several locals out on the beach picking up that stretch of beach. And they also go farther south of the pier and do it there. There's a lot of locals on this island that love this island and they take care of the beaches; they take care of anything they can out here,” Tagliaferro.
No one knows for sure why people discard these barely used toys, but Evelyn has a theory.
“Sometimes it looks like people bought the toys in the morning, went to the beach, and left the toys behind because they might have had to go back to the airport or whatever and couldn't take it with them. And so, it's just too good to throw in the trash, and so that's how I started that," Pless-Schuberth.
Island Italian Restaurant might not have beach toys on its menus, but it’s happy to be a part of the effort to keep the Island clean.