A group known as Unified Community Leaders came together to brighten the Christmas holidays for less fortunate children with a toy drive at the Mahogany Event Center in McComb on Saturday.
Chris Hackett oversaw the 13th annual toy drive, which produced about 500 to 600 gifts for children up to age 12.
“A lot of kids that lost someone, like a mother or father during the year, they have first priority,” Hackett said. “We let them pick out first and let everybody else fall in.”
Hackett said he contacted families he knew that had experienced the loss of a parent.
Hackett said the toys included dolls, Play Doh, glow lights, action figures, puzzles and learning games.
Some leftover toys would go to the Salvation Army and others would be used next year, he said.
“We have different events that go on,” Hackett said. “We’ll donate them to little schools and little daycares and things like that.”
Hackett said he enjoys being able to make a difference and the amount of toys given away has increased every year, “It’s really just to give back to the community,” he said. “We go out as a group called Unified Community Leaders. What we do is we just give back. We go around Christmas time. We give away toys and stuff like that and they really just show up and get them.”
Hackett said the Unified Community Leaders also feed the homeless for Thanksgiving and gives coats to the less fortunate during the wintertime.
