Ozark County Toy Drive will be Dec. 16 in Gainesville

The Ozark County Toy Drive, a charity effort that offers free Christmas gifts to those in need, will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, at the First Baptist Church Event Center on Third Street in Gainesville. The annual event offers gifts for Ozark County children and teens age 17 and younger. 

The charity operation has helped make Christmas brighter for hundreds of Ozark County children since the late 1960s. 

Parents and guardians of children and teens age 17 and younger who live in Ozark County are eligible to attend the toy drive and receive gifts. Parents will be given a number as they arrive. A random drawing of numbers will determine the order in which parents  enter the building to choose gifts. When their number is called, they will enter to choose new toys and gift items for each child, along with smaller stocking stuffers, all free of charge. 

Tax deductible donations are needed and can be made to the Ozark County Toy Drive and mailed in c/o Nancy Walker, 378 Harlin Drive, Gainesville, MO 65655.