'Bring some cheer into a child's life': Agency seeks gifts for Portage kids in foster care

Diane Smith, Record-Courier
·2 min read
The Presents for Kids committee, a group of employees from all divisions of Job & Family Services, come together to make sure kids in care have a merry Christmas.
The Presents for Kids committee, a group of employees from all divisions of Job & Family Services, come together to make sure kids in care have a merry Christmas.

Portage County Job and Family Services is once again collecting gifts to help nearly 200 kids in care have a merry Christmas.

More:Portage County Job & Family Services provides Christmas gifts for kids in foster care

Toys will be collected from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Portage County Administration Building, 449 S. Meridian St.

Job and Family Services' staff will collect the toys during the drive-thru event; motorists are asked to enter through the Meridian Street entrance.

New, unwrapped toys for a child of any age, gift cards and cash donations will be accepted. Donors will get a letter recognizing their donation.

More:Elves help Santa provide gifts to hundreds of children in need

Kellijo Jeffries, director of Portage County Job and Family Services, said the agency's goal is to give four gifts to each of the 172 children in foster care. In the past, children have received three gifts as a result of the toy drive.

"It's a very emotional time for these kids, because they wish they could be with their biological families," she said. "It's just to bring some cheer into a child's life. It makes a difference, it really does. It makes a difference in the life of a child."

Jeffries said the toy drive has been an ongoing effort for several years, but the collection from the community switched to a drive-thru in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though the administration building is open, many people find the drive-thru to be a convenient way to make a donation.

The agency has been collecting donations over the past few months. Several large employers, such as Sirna and Sons and Northeast Ohio Medical University, conducted toy drives and collected "bulbs" with wish lists and interests from each child. Neighborhood Development Services made a cash donation to purchase toys.

Wayland Community Church will again donate a stocking for every child in foster care. This year, seniors served by Adult Protective Services also will receive a stocking thanks to the church's efforts, Jeffries said.

Over the coming weeks, she said, the halls of the administration building will be lined with toys bound for the children, and social workers will make a special appointment to deliver the gifts.

"It's just a wonderful time for our agency," Jeffries said. "It's just as special for our social workers."

Jeffries said she is grateful that Portage County donors are once again remembering the children in foster care.

"Every year I am so pleasantly suprised by the generosity of the residents of Portage County," she said. "They really step up for the kids in care."

Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Portage agency to collect gifts this Saturday for kids in foster care