Over 2,000 children in Carroll and Montgomery counties will have a toy under the tree this Christmas thanks to the many residents and businesses who stepped up to the plate to help the annual Toys for Tots drive held by Blessings for All, Empowered by Faith, Inc.
Organizer Calbrina Ward Woods said toys were given out Friday, Dec. 18 at the National Guard Armory in Winona. She said the parents of the recipients received a call for their appointment time. If they haven’t received a phone call, Woods said they should contact her.
This year, Woods said they joined forces with Molina Healthcare and Molina provided hats and gloves for 200 children and they will be given out Friday as well.
This year, due to COVID-19, Woods had a little bit of a challenge getting funding for toys because a lot of her corporate sponsors were not able to do what they usually would have. Woods turned to the public to ask for help and the public stepped in fulfilling not only the wishes of those who were involved, but providing smiles to a lot of children’s faces.
Not only did Woods work to provide toys for children in Carroll and Montgomery counties, Woods also stepped in and helped to arrange pick up for children in Attala and Leflore Counties after the coordinator of both counties, Louedora Ingram-Burns passed away.
She said she couldn’t just leave those children without anyone to help them and did what she could to reach out to those parents as well.
