Toy Drive in full swing

Residents will start seeing ‘Southern Missouri Christmas Toy Drive’ boxes in the area this week. Several local nonprofits are collaborating to fill a holiday resource need in our community.  

 

Always a Future for Kids, Birthday Blessings, Lincoln Project, Mountain View Missouri Community Betterment, The Chaos Closet, and 37th Judicial CASA are working together to bring Christmas cheer to southcentral Missouri.

 

CJ Collins, Executive Director of Always a Future for Kids, is helping coordinate the drive. The AFK mission is to ensure children have needed resources for healthy and happy lives, so the toy drive seemed like a perfect fit.

 

“A lot of families are struggling financially right now. Economic instability impacts kids in many ways. This toy drive is a wonderful opportunity to boost the emotional well-being of our local children,” Collins said. 

 

Last year gifts collected during the drive were donated to local organizations that offered Christmas support to kids. Those groups then distributed items to approximately 250 young people in and near Howell County. The organizations coordinated with Greater West Plains Area Christmas Program and Shop with a Cop so families qualified one time. They included 37th Circuit Children’s Division in West Plains, Mountain View Community Betterment, Mountain View Agape, Bakersfield School District and Birch Tree School District. 

 

"This toy drive is a fantastic way to make a specific difference in the life of a child. Every toy donated will light up a child's smile and strengthen our community, reminding us that together, we can create joy and hope for all,” said Collins. 

 

Rebecca Sills is the Mountain View Community Betterment Director. Two years ago the nonprofit began hosting their local Angel Tree program. Since then, their donors and volunteers have provided services to hundreds of children in the greater Mountain View area. This year, due to a tornado, they expect an increase in the number of assistance requests. 

 

“The tornado hit our community hard. It touched down three times in Mountain View. There were many people who lost their houses completely. I expect it to impact how many people may need a little extra help this year,” Sills said. 

 

“The toy drive helped our program so much last year. It gave us extra toys to ensure all the children were taken care of. It was amazing how many toys we received last year for all ages,” she added. 

 

The drive will be November 1-30. Collection boxes in West Plains are at Boys and Girls Club, Community First Bank, Family Chiropractic, First United Methodist Church, Hass Darr Halls at MSU West Plains, Ozarks Small Business Incubator, Ozark Marketing Company, Southern Missouri Community Health Clinic, Tantastic, Walgreens, West Plains Civic Center, West Plains Public Library, Ozark Cafe, Sugar Lily Bakery and Floral, and West Plains Bank. Great Rivers Distributing is collecting items in Pomona. Mountain View locations are Apple Market, Brown’s Feed Store, Connolly Insurance, Mountain View Public Library and Simmons Bank.

 

There are other ways to contribute! A ‘Fill the Van’ collection event will be held at Community First Bank in West Plains on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. An Amazon wish list is posted on their Southern Missouri Christmas Toy Drive Facebook page. Items will be shipped directly to Always a Future for Kids. Online donations can be made at afkfoundation.org.

 

Items must be new, unopened and not wrapped in Christmas paper. There is an especially high need for items appropriate for teens and gifts rated safe for ages 1 to 2. For more information visit their Facebook page, call 417-372-5306 or email cj@alwaysafutureforkids.org.