More than 750 children locally will have presents under their trees this Christmas thanks to the Coshocton County Firefighters Toy Chest.
The program is for low-income families with children from newborn to 15 years old. Registration is closed for the year, but donations of toys or money to buy toys is ongoing. The goal is for each child to have at least one toy, but it's usually four or five said coordinator Laura Drake, who has been spearheading efforts for about 15 years.
"We want to make sure every kid has something for Christmas," she said.
She said the program wouldn't be possible without the generosity of the community. This includes many local groups making donations or holding fundraisers, such as a garage sale with proceeds benefitting the toy chest held in West Lafayette and two students at River View making the toy chest their senior project.