If all goes according to plan, there will be at least 150 more presents to be given away by the Community Mission Outreach this Christmas.

As in years’ past, St. Ann’s parish in Chesapeake is sponsoring a Giving Tree, where parishioners can help make another’s holiday brighter. There are tags on the trees ranging from toys to toiletries and church members will supply the items. Then they will be distributed with the food baskets next week by the CMO.

Those presents will be added to the many contributions the CMO has received this season along with the $3,194 given at last month’s Community Thanksgiving Service at Chesapeake Middle School.

Fifteen churches in the Chesapeake area form the CMO, which manages a food and clothing pantry at the Chesapeake Community Center. For the past five years the CMO has sponsored an ecumenical Thanksgiving service that brings out the community for an evening homilies and songs.

Although there were fewer in attendance at the service this year, the CMO collected approximately $700 more than in the past. All that will be turned into food and other items for Christmas for the families who depend on the CMO for the holidays.

On Friday, Dec. 19, volunteers will spend the day making up at least 550 food baskets that will be distributed the next day starting at 9 a.m. The majority of that food will come from contributions from the member churches.

Besides St. Ann’s the other CMO churches are Chesapeake United Methodist, Big Branch Church, Burlington Baptist, Chesapeake Christian, Pomaria Baptist, Burlington United Methodist, Pentecost, First Baptist, Getaway United Methodist, Symmes Creek Baptist, Chesapeake Church of the Nazarene, Defender United Methodist, Bethel Chapel United Methodist and New Beginnings Worship Center.