The Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons have always been associated with giving to the less fortunate. Colquitt County is blessed with many ways for residents to help one another. Here are some that have been brought to The Observer’s attention.

• District attorneys’ offices for the Southern Judicial Circuit, which includes Colquitt County, are seeking $20 gift cards to distribute evenly among teen-age victims of domestic violence or abuse. Gift cards can be mailed to District Attorney’s Office, P.O. Box 2498, Moultrie GA 31776, or dropped off at Room 222 of the Colquitt County Courthouse Annex, 101 E. Central Ave. The deadline for the card drive is 5 p.m. Dec. 14. For additional information, call Heather Ireland, victim advocate, at (229) 616-7476, or email her at hireland@pacga.org.

• The Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office is seeking donations for door prizes and auction items as part of its annual dove shoot to benefit the Georgia Sheriffs’ Boys Ranch in Hahira. Call Sheriff Rod Howell, Capt. Julius Cox or Mike Murfin at the sheriff’s office, (229) 616-7430 to donate or to buy a ticket at $125 per shooter. The dove shoot will begin at 11 a.m. Dec. 1.

• The Children’s Cheer and Toy Shop, operated by social workers at the county’s schools, plans to distribute toys to families Dec. 14. Anyone who wants to donate new or “gently used” toys can place them in the drop box at 589 Industrial Drive or call (229) 890-6184 ext. 5. There is a particular need for toys appropriate for a 9- to 12-year-old.

• Colquitt County Food Bank relies on donations of food and money to provide for the hungry of the community throughout the year. The food bank is preparing the materials for a Christmas dinner for 650 families this year, to be distributed about a week before Christmas. To help with this effort, call the food bank at (229) 985-7725 between 9 and 11:30 a.m.

• The Moultrie Kiwanis Club is sponsoring a Coats for Kids drive Nov. 2-Dec. 1. Drop-off boxes are located at Carriage Cleaners and Modern Cleaners. Call Keith Brown at (229) 873-3714 for more information.

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If your group is collecting for the less fortunate this holiday season, let us know. Call Kevin Hall at (229) 985-4545 or email him at kevin.hall@gaflnews.com.