Moniteau County children will benefit this year from the annual U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program.
The Jefferson City/Cole County program, aided by the national foundation, was able to share excess gifts with children in Moniteau and Howard counties for the first time this year. They also have helped families with children in Audrain, Callaway and Osage counties in recent years.
About 1,100 toys were delivered to the the Moniteau Christian Ministries Center Monday by Harold Faughn, coordinator for the Cole County Toys for Tots program, with the help of the Rev. Pete Kurowski, pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church.
"It's a fantastic organization that hadn't reached Moniteau County before," said Barbara Mannering, with the Cargill Cares Food Pantry. "We were blessed when we received the phone call."
Faughn said the program had received requests from Moniteau County families in previous years; so in early 2016, he began reaching out to organizations in the county for this Christmas. Distribution points were the elementary and middle schools, the Christian center and St. Paul's.
A Moniteau County coordinator will need to be identified for 2017. The volunteer work is rigorous, but the Toys for Tots program provides training and support.
Faughn explained the 69-year-old charity is an official activity of the U.S. Marine Corps, so the county coordinator has a high accountability and requirements, including a credit score above 750 and a full background investigation.
"It takes a highly qualified person to do this," Faughn said.
With the support of residents and community businesses, Faughn said, Moniteau County collections should support their own program next year.
Mannering said they hope to identify a volunteer, hopefully a retiree with an accounting background, by May.
Collections began Oct. 1 and ended Dec. 15. Donated toys were sorted by age and scrutinized for safety and adhering to the Department of Commerce standards.
About 550 children, from infant to age 16, whose names were collected through local churches, schools and the ministries center, will receive gifts this Christmas through the national charity.
Deliveries had been planned for Saturday, but weather caused the delay until this past Monday, Mannering said.
"When they brought in the presents, it was just unreal," she said.
Across the nation and its territories, more than 7 million children will receive two gifts each.
"It's a wonderful program; it helps families going through difficult times," Kurowski said. "It brings cheer into their lives to chase
away stress."
The Angel Tree, coordinated through the Moniteau County Central Missouri Community Action office, benefited from the additional toys, Mannering said.
And the addition of Toys for Tots augments the California Elementary School's annual Circle of Sharing and the California Middle School's Giving Tree, to provide food and gifts to families in need, donated by students and the community.
"We live in an amazing community," elementary Principal Gary Baker, said.
Employees at Burger's Smokehouse donated a truckload of food to help students make it through the holiday break without access to school-provided breakfast and lunch.
The schools also benefited from church and civic organization donations, as well as contributions to the Parent-Teacher Organization's recent food drive.
"It's humbling to see our community's love pour out to our kids," Baker said.