Santa's Helpers

Christmas Around the World
Join AAA and bring the kids for a fun-filled day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 5 at Baytowne Wharf of Sandestin. Help those who are less fortunate.
Activities include ice skating, pictures with Santa, hot chocolate and cookies, music and more. Also, create gifts with Home Depot and Build a Bear and the police department will have ID kits for children.
Admission is $7, which goes to provide gifts for military overseas, plus a donation to one of the following: PAWS, dog food; Children in Crisis, old coats for children; Sharing and Caring, canned food; and Toys For Tots, toys.

Coats for Kids at Christmas
The United Way of Okaloosa-Walton Counties, in partnership with A & A Transfer & Storage, and Bangkok Cleaners, will hold the annual Coats for Kids at Christmas Drive to help needy children in Okaloosa and Walton Counties.
Drop off used coats (good condition) or new coats through Dec. 5 at the following locations: Bank of America, BankTrust, BB&T (formerly Colonial Bank), BBVA Compass Bank, Beach Community Bank, Belk at Santa Rosa Mall, Century Link (formerly Embarq), Coastal Bank and Trust, Covenant Hospice, Eglin Chapel, Eglin Federal Credit Union, First City Bank, Okaloosa District Office, Premier Community Bank, The Village of Baytowne Wharf, Trustmark Bank, Twin Cities Hospital and Whitney National Bank.
Bangkok Cleaners in Fort Walton Beach will clean coats and United Way Agencies will distribute the coats to any child at no cost to the family.
Call 243-0315.

Stuff the Window
Today's Boutique, in the Paradise Key Shopping Center in Destin, will help Children in Crisis during “Stuff the Window.” Donate toys and gift cards that will be put in the display window at the store. Bring donations before Dec. 15. Those that donate receive a 15 percent discount on their entire purchase during the campaign.

Fishermen For Christ food drive
Fishermen For Christ will sell T-shirts for a suggested donation of $15 with all proceeds going to feed Destin fishermen’s families during the holidays. T-shirts are available at Ace Hardware in Destin, Eagles’ Wings Books & Gifts, 14071 F, Emerald Coast Parkway in Destin, Emerald Coast Scuba and Southbay Ace.
Non-perishable food items are needed and may be dropped off at the Fisherman’s Co-op under Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant, First Baptist Church, Calhoun’s or visit destinfishermanforchrist.com for more locations.
Cash donations are also needed and may be taken or sent by Dec. 18 to Immanuel Anglican Church, Attn: John Hayslip, 250 Indian Bayou Trail, Destin, FL 32541 or First Baptist Church, 201 Beach Drive, Destin, FL, 32541.
Donations may also be made online. For information, call 850-654-4999.

Generous Heart Toy Drive
Generous Heart/Passion 1:27 Ministry in Destin will collect toys to give to some of the more than 400 foster children in Okaloosa County during the Christmas season. Toys for all age children may be dropped off at Grace Lutheran Church, 4325 Commons Drive or mail checks to Generous Heart Ministry, PO Box 5316, Destin FL 32540. Deadline is Dec. 20.
Eagle's Wings Book & Gifts, 14071 F, Emerald Coast Parkway in Destin is also accepting toy donations.

Harvest House Food Drive
Mission Love Seeds in Destin is collecting food for Harvest House for the holiday season.
Complete list of foods needs are available at drop off locations and at www.harvesthosannadestin.org/harvesthouse/.
Boxes with posters and shopping lists will be located throughout the community at businesses and churches. Some of the drop-off locations are Destin Community Center, 101 Stahlman Ave., Destin Log, 1225 Airport Road, Destin United Methodist Church, 200 Beach Drive, First Presbyterian Church, 154 Calhoun Ave., Grace Lutheran Church, 4325 W Commons Drive, Winn-Dixie stores and Ace Hardware locations. Complete list available at Missionloveseeds.org.

Wish Upon a Car
The Fourth Annual Wish Upon a Car Christmas Charity Event, organized by 654 Limo, will select 80 children from deprived, under-privileged, and/or abusive homes within our local neighborhoods and treat them to a day of holiday festivities beginning at 9:45 a.m. Dec. 15.
This event will include holiday shopping, meals, gifts for the children and their families, group interactions, gift-wrapping, holiday card crafting, music, photos with Santa Claus, and, of course, limousine transportation throughout the entire event.
We are encouraging our community partners to get involved and sponsor a child for $100 or an entire family for $500. You can also offer your products and services for the day of the event.  
Contact 654 Limo by Dec. 12 to help with this charity event.

Toys For Tots at dressbarn
For the second year, dressbarn, at Silver Sands Factory Mall, will hold its Toys For Tots Drive through Dec. 15. Donate new, unwrapped toy and receive 15 percent off purchase of a regular-priced item. All of the toys collected will be given to children in the community.
The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program objectives are to help less fortunate children throughout the country experience the joy of Christmas, to play an active role in the development of children, to unite all members of local communities, and to contribute to better communities in the future.

Hope for the Holidays
Harvest House in Destin is holding its 23rd Annual Hope for the Holidays Toy Drive through Dec. 18.
The goal this season is to provide toys for children ages 2-11, gift cards for kids ages 12-18 and food gift certificates for family holiday meals.
Hope for the Holiday distribution will be from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Community Center, where a toy shop will be set up for parents and children do their “Christmas Shopping” for the gifts they want to take home and have lunch with Santa. Call 654-9518.
Donations of new, unwrapped toys will be collected at the Destin Community Center, Chick-Fil-A, Newman Daily Resort Properties, The Destin Log and Harvest House.
Or mail checks or gift  cards to Hope for the Holidays, c/o Harvest House, PO Box 372, Destin, FL 32540

Adopt-A-Family
In addition to collecting food for Destin’s Harvest House, Mission Love Seeds continues its annual Adopt-A-Family program in the Philippines.
This year, they will feed five villages, at a cost of $1,000 per village. All the people will have a Christmas dinner, complete with all the trimmings, plus a Christmas stocking filled with candy and a small toy will be given to each child.
If you would like to help by Dec. 20, please send check or money order to Mission Love Seeds, Inc., 55 Country Club Drive. Write Adopt -A -Family Philippines on your check. Or call 850-650-5583 or 850-865-1055 for information.

Holiday Food Drive for Sharing and Caring
Quality Imports' family of dealerships invites the public to bring canned foods and dry goods to any one of their locations through Dec. 23. Collection boxes will be at Quality Toyota, BMW, Scion, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz and at the Value Buy Center. These donations will be collected on behalf of Sharing and Caring of Fort Walton Beach to provide food for families throughout the holidays.
Persons wishing to donate food are encouraged to bring canned beef stew, cereal, pork and beans, canned fruit, carrots, canned meats, peanut butter, jelly, macaroni and cheese dinners, rice, beans, fruit juice, spaghetti and spaghetti sauce, powdered milk and tuna fish. Cash and grocery gift-card contributions are also most appreciated.