GIRLS AT SAFE HOUSE WANT DOLLS

Being home for the holidays is a custom some Cape Girardeau children will be denied this year.

Two girls, 11 and 10, will be spend Christmas with their mother in the Cape Girardeau Safe House for Women. Not only have they been separated from their home, the girls have no toys at the Safe House and must invent ways to amuse themselves.

The thought of having to go through the Christmas season without toys makes their situation seem even more bleak.

With the help of Toybox, however, the girls will have an opportunity to feel like other children this Christmas. Both girls have asked for Barbie or Troll dolls, but any toy will be better than nothing.

Two other children, 2 and 3, must spend the holidays with an aunt until their mother undergoes treatment in a drug rehabilitation program. Their aunt has five children of her own. With the addition of two children, the woman's budget has been stretched to the limit.

That means Christmas won't happen for this family without the help of the Toybox program.

Applications are still being accepted by the Salvation Army, 701 Good Hope. Needy families from Cape Girardeau can apply until Friday, weekdays from 10 to noon and 2 to 4.

The children's social security numbers and proof of residence are needed to apply. A utility bill or some other form of identification can be used as proof of residence.

Cape Girardeau Jaycee Santas and elves will deliver toys to underprivileged children Dec. 20 from 7 to 9 p.m..

New, unwrapped toys may be delivered to the Southeast Missourian, 301 Broadway, or to the following Toybox collection sites: West Park Mall, Boatmen's Bank, Capital Bank, Perry Travel Center, Gulliver's Travel Agency, AmeriFirst Bank, Commerce Bank, Roosevelt Bank and Mercantile Bank.

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