SANTA SETS OFF TONIGHT FOR TOYBOX DELIVERIES

Santa Claus is making an early stop in Cape Girardeau tonight to deliver gifts to needy children.

Santa and a large team of Cape Girardeau Jaycees will be taking toys door to door, providing children with a bonus gift a personal visit from Santa.

Tonight's delivery is the culmination of hours of hard work by thousands of people, including the generous people who took time to shop for the toys they then donated to Toybox and those who took time to write a check so that warm clothing could be purchased for the children.

Volunteers with the Jaycees have been working since Thanksgiving to make sure everything is ready for tonight's toy delivery.

A wide assortment of toys has been sorted and packaged for more than a thousand children on the Toybox rolls. The children will also receive new coats, mittens, hats and other warm clothing they need.

The Salvation Army provided valuable assistance by accepting and screening applications for Toybox. The staff at the Southeast Missourian also has been helping coordinate and promote the campaign.

The help of all these people, and many others, has made this year's Toybox project a success. The final tally of toys and monetary donations has not been completed, but organizers say enough gifts have arrived to offer a happy holiday to all the children on the Toybox Christmas list.

Toybox is sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Jaycees and the Southeast Missourian newspaper. It serves needy children in Cape Girardeau up to age 12.

For more information, call Kim McDowell at 335-6611.