Santa's Helpers

Christmas Connection

Destin’s Mission Love Seeds has partnered with The Fort Walton Beach High School Viking Leadership for the 15th Christmas Connection to provide a Christmas or holiday to families in Okaloosa County and surrounding areas who cannot afford to do so. Families, recommended by guidance counselors, will be provided with 10 days worth of meals, gifts for every child, a special Christmas or holiday dinner, and other necessities such as utility bills and maintenance for each family.

Start your own canned food drive or bring canned foods to The Destin Log, 35o08 Emerald Coast Parkway, Suite 501, across from Bass Pro Shops. Other drop off locations include schools, xxx

Call Leadership Teacher Barbara Britt at 621-7709.

Toys 4 Tots Run

The 32nd Annual Toys 4 Tots Run, sponsored by the Emerald Coast HOG Chapter #0672 and Heritage Cycles Harley-Davidson, begins at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 18 in the Sam’s Club parking lot on Beal Parkway in Fort Walton Beach. All motorcycles are welcome and entry fee is $10/participant and a new toy or gift card. Bike parade begins at 11 a.m. and ends at the Mullet Festival site in Niceville for live music, food, door prizes, a silent auction, best decorated bike awards and adult and children’s motorcycle contests.

Toys and gift cards will be given to the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center’s healing child abuse victims and abandoned kids living at the Children in Crisis Children’s Neighborhood. Call 598-0511 or 862-4706.

Holiday Food Drive

Shelter House is accepting donations of turkeys, hams, stuffing mix, gravy, mashed potato mix, soups for casseroles, green beans, crunchy fried onions, corn, cranberry sauce, rolls, fresh fruits and vegetables, pie crusts, condensed milk and pumpkin pie filling to help feed families this holiday season. Also needed are laundry baskets to put the meals in and grocery and gas gift cards.

Non-perishable items can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Shelter House administration office, 102 Buck Drive in Fort Walton Beach, Perishable items, especially turkeys and hams, need to be delivered on Nov. 19 and Dec. 19 only. Call 243-1201.

Charity auction

Gulf Coast travel website TripShock.com will host its first Children in Crisis online charity auction through Dec. 5 at auction.tripshock.com.

All proceeds will go to Children in Crisis of Florida that helps abused and neglected children in the community. The items that will be available in the auction include dolphin tours, parasailing, lodging, and more. Tourists and locals alike can take advantage of everything that is offered, which includes destinations from Panama City Beach to Gulf Shores, Ala.

Angel Tree at Silver Sands

Visit the “Families First Angel Tree” Dec. 1-12 at Charity Gift Wrap at Silver Sands Premium Outlets. A description of each child and gift suggestions will be available. Wrapped gifts must be returned to Charity Gift Wrap no later than Wednesday, Dec. 12. Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Charity Gift Wrap

Sinfonia Gulf Coast volunteers will wrap gifts for donations during The Silver Sands’ Annual Charity Gift Wrap from 12-6 p.m. Dec. 8-16 and 12-9 p.m. Dec. 17-23 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Christmas Eve.

Coats for Kids at Christmas

United Way of Okaloosa-Walton Counties, in partnership with A & A Transfer & Storage, Bangkok Cleaners and French Laundry, will hold Coats for Kids to help children in need in Okaloosa and Walton Counties.

To participate, drop off new coats or almost new coats through Dec. 5 at the following locations: Bank of America, BankTrust, BB&T, BBVA Compass Banks, Beach Community Banks, Boeing Company, CCB Community Bank, Coastal Bank and Trust, Covenant Hospice, Eglin Chapel, Eglin Federal Credit Unions, First City Bank, Gold’s Gym in Destin, Horizons, Northwest Florida State College, Okaloosa School District Office, Publix in Fort Walton Beach, Crestview, Destin, Grand Blvd, South Walton, and Watercolor, Regions Banks, Summit Banks, Trustmark Banks, Twin Cities Hospital, and the YMCAs.

Volunteers will pick and deliver coats to Bangkok and French Laundry for cleaning. Participating United Way Agencies will distribute the coats to any child at no cost to the family. Call 243-0315 or email events@united-way.org.