Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Toy drive successful

For the fourth straight year the Picayune toy drive has been a success.

On Saturday, Dec. 17, bags of toys were handed out for almost 250 children. When the doors at the Picayune office opened at noon, people were lined up and waiting to pick up bags of toys for their children.

The situation was hectic, for a while, said Picayune Editor John Miller, but everyone was patient and got their toys as quickly as was possible.

Bags of toys were all over the Picayune office, taking up practically every available inch of space.

We couldnt have done this without the help of the community, Miller said. The donations we received allowed us to help brighten the holiday season for these children and their families.

Donations were received from, Hollys Health Mart, McKenzie, McRae, Vasser and Barber, the Nevada County Branch Bank of Delight, Congressman Mike Ross, Sexton Foods, the Prescott Lions Club, the Prescott Rotary Club, State Sen. Percy Malone, State Rep. Tommy Roebuck, the Nevada High School Cheerleaders, the Nevada Fair Queens, Freds and Dollar General, among others. There were also many donations from individuals helping the cause.

With the exception of purchasing childrens clothes for a needy family, all money was spent locally, Miller said. Because the money came from local donations, it was only right that it was returned to the local economy. However, we were unable to find childrens clothes locally and a family was in dire need, so we had to go out of town for them.

Members of the Tri-Service Club came to the Picayune office Wednesday, Dec. 14, to help bag the toys. Their help was greatly appreciated, Miller said. It made the job much faster and easier than it would have been otherwise. The club members seemed to have a good time as well.

Id like to personally thank everyone who helped make this a success, he continued. Its a community project to help local people in their time of need. Hopefully there will be a time when such programs arent needed, but until then, its up to all of us to pitch in and help out.