The local Toys for Tots campaign achieved its target of donating 1,000 Christmas presents to children in Pearl River County this year.

Each year the campaign aims to spread Christmas cheer among the not so fortunate members of the community.

Theresa Milar, the local coordinator for the campaign, said she was overwhelmed with the response the campaign received this year and said she and her fellow volunteers were able to reach out to approximately 200 children more than the previous year.

Milar said this time it wasn’t just the toy drive that helped them achieve their target. The effort was boosted by other efforts including a Radiothon.

All of which contributed to the total donation of $16,000 this year and allowed volunteers to purchase more presents for the children.

Toys for Tots Is a nationwide program sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps. and each year families willing to participate are grateful to receive a bit of help from their community during the holidays.

And our local Toys for Tots ensures those toys stay local by requiring proof of residency in Pearl River County.

We are glad to hear that the program was able to meet and exceed its sole function of giving our local children new, unwrapped presents that the children can enjoy during Christmas. These donations were collected throughout the county in more than a hundred locations, showing that the effort was countywide.

Milar’s and the other Toys for Tots volunteer’s work to spread Christmas cheer across the community is just one of many efforts citizens in this area provide to help those in need. This is just a reflection of how united the residents are in Pearl River County.

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and will continue these efforts in future years.