Video: Lamar County Toy Drive

LAMAR COUNTY,Ala. (WCBI)—Celebrate the holidays with a gift. For some families, it’s a struggle to find the money to buy each child a present.

In Lamar County, Alabama, there will be something under the tree for children whose parents need a little extra help.

Lamar County is considered a low income area with a population of only 1,500 but that’s not stopping those residents from taking care of their own.

Making a difference in the community was the message Friday Morning.

“One of the ways we celebrate Christmas is a yearly open house for Lamar County Department of Human Resources. What we do is open our doors to the community. We celebrate Christmas by letting people come in and see what we do for our under privilege children in the county,” said DHR Director Randy Shelton.

Nearly 6% of the people who live here are out of work. Without partnerships like Lamar Aide To People events like this wouldn’t be possible.

“Lamar aid to people is an organization that works throughout the year to help provide the needs for the needy people of Lamar County,” said Shelton.

“We’ve gotten a lot of community support from churches the county commissioner. They donate money and we use this money to buy the gifts and it’s no cost to the tax payer because this is all local money,” said Program Supervisor James Morton.

Lamar County DHR Director Randy Shelton says the most important thing to remember here is the children.

” Well it’s just so important because Christmas is a wonderful time of the year and for those who may not have the things that help make it a happy Christmas for children. It makes a difference in children lives. It helps them see Christmas as a positive time and a time when they can share and receive things from the community,”said Shelton.

Lamar County DHR along with Lamar Aide to People serves between 150 to 200 families with events held throughout the year. If you would like to be apart of the Christmas program, it’s not too late  contact The Human Resource Department at (205) 695-5000.