The Coming Together Organization is preparing for its two holiday events, the 30th annual Give a Child a Wish Project and Christmas Feeding.

The wish project is a toy drive for children aged 5-12 years old and will culminate on Sunday, Dec. 23, from 2-5 p.m. Toy donations are being accepted up until then at the Demopolis Project Recreational Center, where the toy drive will also be held. Applications to participate in the Give a Child a Wish Project are due on Dec. 18 and are available from any CTO member.

Along with a toy drive that aims to brighten the holidays for 600 area children, the Coming Together Organization each year brings together volunteers at Kora’s Place restaurant where they help to serve as many as 3,000 people on Christmas Day.

CTO President Willard Williams said the toy drive benefits children that are not eligible for assistance provided by the Marengo County Department of Human Resources.

“We saw some kids that weren’t being served by DHR, and we saw a need in the community, and we just started filling that crack.”

According to Williams, 600 children will be given gifts this year through the toy drive.

The Christmas Feeding, which will serve approximately 3,000 people, will take place on Christmas Day at Kora’s Place from 5-11 a.m. Plates will be given out starting at 8 a.m., and volunteers are welcome as early as 5 a.m. CTO is currently accepting donations of all kinds, which can be dropped off at the restaurant.

Williams said that the feeding started with reaching out to the elderly community and has since grown to include all those in need.

“Back then, we were able to feed them out of our house, and now we have to go to the restaurant.”

Williams also said that the community involvement has been “wonderful,” with monetary donations coming from groups such as the Demopolis City Council, Sweet Water State Bank and Robertson Banking Company. Several churches have become involved in the holiday events as well. “They’ve been very dutiful about helping out,” Williams said.

Monetary donations can be made to any CTO member or mailed to P.O. Box 1084, Demopolis, AL 36732. For more information, contact Williams at 334-216-3310.

(This article originally appeared in the Wednesday, November 28 issue of the Demopolis Times.)