Whether it is due to family finances or some sort of extenuating circumstances, it would be gut-wrenching to try and explain to a child that he or she will not be receiving any Christmas gifts. Especially when their friends may receive the latest toy on the market.

Times are hard for some, but thanks to the Good Shepherd Community Center and their Christmas toy program, many families will qualify for assistance in the gift-giving department.

And for those interested in receiving help, the public is invited to sign up this week, Good Shepherd executive director the Rev. Tommy Miller said.

“We will be signing the public up for Christmas toys, Thursday,” Miller said.

The sign-up will be held at the Good Shepherd facility at 629 Cherry St., beginning at 8 a.m., he said.

Names will be taken and those who qualify for the program will be adopted out into the Vicksburg community.

People signing up, Miller said, will need to bring birth certificates, social security cards, a picture ID and proof of income for the household.

“We will also ask the parents to specify three specific toys the children might like and then we ask them to give us their clothes sizes, so we can get one or two outfits of clothing for each child.”

“If a family has received toys for the past three years from the Good Shepherd Community Center or received assistance from the Salvation Army or a combination of the two,” Miller said, they will not be eligible for the program this year.

“This would be a small number,” he added.

Also, if anyone is interested in adopting a child from the Good Shepherd toy program, they are encouraged to contact the center at 601-636-7687.

Good Shepherd has been offering its toy program for nearly 30 years to the Vicksburg Community and has served more than 10,000 children, Miller said. 

“Last year, we had 511 children, and in the last several years we have done well over 400 children,” Miller said.

In the early years, Good Shepherd’s numbers were only between 100 to 150 children, Miller said, but because the needs have grown, so have the number of those who qualify for assistance.

This is due in part, Miller said, to some agencies cutting back on their assistance while there have also been some non-profits like, We Care, that no longer exist.

Good Shepherd has been dedicated in trying to fill in the gaps, Miller said.

“We have tried to set up and do what we can do,” he said.

Gifts will be distributed the week before Christmas at the Good Shepherd community Center.