DEADLINE DRAWS NEAR FOR TOY BOX

Do you remember going back to school after the Christmas holidays? You put on your favorite new outfit and took that special toy to school to show everyone what you got for Christmas.

Unless donations greatly increase to the Toy Box toy drive in the next week and a half, there will be many children without any toys to show others.

The campaign is on schedule to receive the same number of applications as in years past, but donations are nowhere near meeting the toy requests.

"The problem is that toys and monetary donations are coming in very slowly," said Toy Box co-chair Kerry Reeves. "When you consider that we deliver to approximately 1,200 children, (the donations collected break down to) about $3.33 per child."

Reeves said so far about two vanloads of toys and approximately $4,000 in donations have been collected, which won't meet even half of the applicants' requests.

"Please bring a gift to a drop off point or mail a check as soon as possible," Reeves said. "We need the help of the community and local businesses to be able to make this a joyous and magical time of year for children."

Toy Box is in its 22nd year and is co-sponsored by the Cape Jaycees and the Southeast Missourian. All toys and 100 percent of all monetary donations will be used as or to buy gifts for children through the age of 12 who otherwise might not receive Christmas gifts.

New, unwrapped toys and gifts may be delivered to the Southeast Missourian office or area locations. Drop off points are located at West Park Mall, Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems, Boatmen's Bank, Gulliver's Travel Agency, Mercantile Bank, Union Planters Bank, AAA Travel Agency, The First National Bank, Commerce Bank and Sanders True Value Hardware.

Gifts will be delivered by a team of Jaycee Santas on Dec. 19.

Cash contributions may be mailed to Toybox Trust, P.O. Box 4, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0004.