Toybox, elderly

Cape Girardeau was buzzing this past weekend. Shoppers waited in lines early Friday morning for retailers to open their doors. After all, gift giving during the Christmas season is a favorite tradition for many. Unfortunately, some in our community have a hard time makings ends meet, let alone having the means to buy Christmas presents. For these individuals, local organizations such as Toybox and Christmas for the Elderly are a godsend.

Toybox and Christmas for the Elderly are in the midst of their annual campaigns. Toybox provides toys for about 1,200 children each year. Christmas for the Elderly helps roughly 40 senior citizens with groceries, pharmaceutical items and other supplies.

Those who would like to support our community's less fortunate can bring monetary donations for Christmas for the Elderly to the Southeast Missourian, located at 301 Broadway, by Dec. 16 and toys for Toybox to the Southeast Missourian and retailers such as West Park Mall and Walmart by Dec. 20.

To read more about Toybox and Christmas for the Elderly, check out Toybox organizer Tracy Haggerty's blog "Toybox: Delivering joy, one child at a time" at semissourian.com and periodically on page 3A of the Southeast Missourian. Haggerty writes about the needs of the area's elderly and what some underprivileged children would like for Christmas.

Consider what you can do to brighten these individuals' Christmas.