TIFTON — Toys for Tots and Santa’s Helpers have been collecting new, unopened toys for families who might need a little help with Christmas this year.

Shirene Daniell, the local Toys for Tots coordinator, said that this year the organization has received applications from approximately 300 families and will provide toys for approximately 800 children from birth until age 12.

Volunteers began picking up, sorting and bagging toys earlier in the week for pickup on Friday, Dec. 15.

The sorting and pick up was at the American Legion Fairgounds, where the American Legion has been hosting the event for the past three years.

One volunteer, Amber Conger, was from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Baptist Collegiate Ministries, which for the past two years has participated in a local mission trip to help with local needs.

Conger said that she likes to participate because it’s “fun to make sure the kids have something to play with and enjoy on Christmas.”

Each family unit has a bag, and each child has a smaller bag filled with toys inside the larger bag.

There are still locally donated toys coming in, Daniell said. She said they also receive donations from the Toys for Tots Foundation and Toys”R”Us.

Daniell said that the infants and older children are usually more difficult to get items for.

“Usually people donate for that five, six, seven-year-old group, the ones that still believe,” she said.

Toys”R”Us is a strong supporter of the program, and donates money to allow local coordinators like Daniell to buy things to fill in the gaps.

Local monetary donations are also helpful at filling in where needed, and Daniell said that all donations, both the toys and the financial donations, are kept local.

“If we can make their life a little better for that day then that’s what we’re supposed to do,” Daniell said.

For more information about how to donate, contact Shirene Daniell at bishidan@mchsi.com or (229) 382-7525.

Follow Eve Guevara on Twitter @EveGuevaraTTG.