Toy drive events were held at the Iowa GOP’s headquarters in Des Moines as well as in Linn, Wapello, and Muscatine Counties, with dozens of volunteers and organizers participating.

The GOP’s Des Moines toy drive also featured Reps. Mike Bousselot and Jon Dunwell as guest speakers, both of whom won landmark special state house races earlier this year.

Republican officials stressed that these toy drive events, in addition to food drives organized last month ahead of Thanksgiving, underscored their commitment to engaging with and helping Iowa communities.

“Republicans are focused on truly making a difference in our communities and building lasting relationships through serving others,” RNC Spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement. “Through these holiday charity drives, Republicans are living our values and showing that there is a place for every Iowan in the Republican Party.”

The charity initiatives come in light of 39-year record inflation and supply chain woes that have hit working-class families in Iowa and across the country. A Gallup poll from earlier this month found that a staggering 71 percent of American households earning under $40,000 were experiencing hardship due to inflation. Supply chain issues have crippled the operations of businesses across the nation, including an Iowa toymaker that struggled to meet holiday demand and fill a large planned donation to toys for tots.

“We have major issues to tackle. You see all these toys up here? Iowa families, their dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to,” Bousselot said to a gathering of Republican volunteers in Des Moines on Friday. “They’re paying more to keep the lights on, to put a roof over their head, to put gas in their car so they can go to work. … It’s the worst inflation of my lifetime. That is a tax on working families.”