Consider giving to Toybox, Christmas for the Elderly

Most people in Southeast Missouri have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season, but there are still those in the area who limp by all year and come to a halt at the holidays. With barely money to pay bills, these families might never be able to manage a Christmas.

Toybox and Christmas for the Elderly gear up to help those families each year. Toybox helps provide gifts to roughly 1,200 underprivileged children each year. Christmas for the Elderly helps about 40 senior citizens with groceries, pharmaceutical items and other supplies.

Southeast Missourians who want to help their neighbors can bring monetary donations for Christmas for the Elderly to the Southeast Missourian by Dec. 16 and toys for Toybox to the Southeast Missourian and retailers like West Park Mall and Walmart by Dec. 20.

Toybox organizer Tracy Haggerty blogs about the specific needs in the area on her blog "Toybox: Delivering joy, one child at a time." See the first blog on page 3A.