City Mission shifts focus to Christmas

Less than a week after 869 people were served free Thanksgiving dinner, pastor Jeff Cremeans and volunteers at the City Welfare Mission in Ironton are getting ready for Christmas.

“That number (869) is down a little from last year but average over the past two or three years,” Cremeans said. “The number of people registered for food and toys for Christmas is down a little, too.”

With registration closed, Cremeans said about 600 families will receive free food baskets and more than 1,000 children will get free toys from the Mission.

“Last year 1,900 children got free toys,” Cremeans said. “It’s hard to guess how many will this year but it will be close to that number.”

All toys are new and age-appropriate for children up to 12 years old. Food and toys are donated directly to or purchased by the City Mission through financial donations from local individuals, organizations and businesses.

Each food box has the basic staples families need: canned goods, a turkey, bread and potatoes. The size of the box depends on the size of the family.

Families will receive food baskets and toys at the City Mission on Dec. 23.