Generosity shines in Joplin as volunteers provide food and gifts for families

JOPLIN, Mo. — The Joplin office of an area ministry was a very busy place on Wednesday.

"It makes your heart warm," said Larry Efird, Salvation Army volunteer.

He is one of a small army of volunteers working since last week to make sure there's food on the table and gifts under the tree for others in the community that, for whatever reason, wouldn't be able to do so themselves.

"They wouldn't have a Christmas probably, like a lump of coal in the movies, a lump of coal but yah, a lot of these kids would not have a Christmas," said Efird.

For a while, Captain Deb Middendorp was concerned they wouldn't be able to provide gifts for over a thousand families in Jasper and Newton counties.

"Generosity of people has been amazing this year, it's it's you can see all these bags represents one family and they're loaded with toys for the kids we have a food box for the families," said Captain Deb Middendorp, Salvation Army of Jasper Newton County.

A total of five hundred and twenty-five families picked up food baskets and over a thousand gifts for their kids.

Much of the non-perishable food items in the boxes were brought in by kids in Joplin schools that hosted food drives.

And an area farmer donated an entire cow, to provide meat for each basket.