Two days remain before Toybox delivers

With just two days left before delivery, the Cape Girardeau Jaycees still have more than 200 bags left to fill.

And there is barely enough money left to spend on gifts.

Toybox is a joint program of the Jaycees and the Southeast Missourian that provides Christmas gifts to needy children up to age 12.

Donations from Notre Dame and drop-off locations around town helped fill some bags over the weekend, but there are still plenty to go, said Lisa Seabaugh, a Jaycee member.

"We've bought toys this year and normally we don't have to," she said.

Because the donations are so low and the number of applications so high, Jaycees are afraid there won't be enough to fill all the requests. "It's too close to the wire for me," Seabaugh said.

Toybox will deliver its gifts Thursday so all the donations must be received today.

Gifts like Barbies and accessories, battery-operated hand-held games and batteries, coloring books and crayons, blocks, baseballs, bats, footballs and soccer balls, puzzles, educational toys, board games and dolls make good presents for the children. Infant and toddler toys also are needed.

Donations of new, unused toys are being collected at Southeast Missourian offices in Cape Girardeau and Jackson, AAA Travel Agency, First National Bank, First Missouri State Bank, Bank of America, Sanders True Value, Bank of Missouri, Capaha Bank, Cingular Wireless, Union Planters Bank, Alliance Bank, Toys R Us, Commerce Bank, Westfield Shoppingtown West Park, U.S. Bank and Wehrenberg Theatres.

Tax-deductible contributions can be mailed to Toybox Trust at P.O. Box 4, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702-0004.