The holiday season is here, and while some may be focusing on Thanksgiving or beautiful fall foliage, officers with Marion Police Department are gearing up for the department’s annual holiday toy drive.

The toy drive provides Christmas gifts to thousands of children and families from East Mississippi and West Alabama each year during both the day-long event itself and the weeks that follow.

This year, however, Chief Randall Davis said he’s going to try something new. Instead of utilizing the Hamasa Temple Shrine as in previous years, Davis said this year’s toy drive will take a more tailored approach. Families participating in the toy drive will call town hall and toys will be set aside for them, he said.

“Families, if they call here to town hall, we’re going to get their names, number, address, and then you can kind of identify, so they’ve got three kids, 9, 8, 3 (years old), girls and boys,” he said. “You can kind of narrow things down, and when they come up here, I know what I’m going to have for them.”

With the information, Davis said, toys can be divided up so each child gets a toy they will enjoy without the crowds and chaos. It will require a bit more work on the front end, he said, but that is OK with him.

“When we’re in there, in that line, 1,200, 1,500 people, you’ve got people there, people grabbing stuff. Don’t nobody know who’s going where,” he said. “We’re just going to try a little different, but the results will be the same.”

MPD’s toy drive turns no one away, Davis said, and that will continue to be the case. Whoever calls, regardless where they’re from, they will be added to the list, he said.

“I don’t care where they call from,” he said. “We’re just going to do it as families.”

The new format is not the only change to the toy drive this year, Davis said, as MPD will also be giving out Christmas hams and turkeys for entire families to enjoy. Also on hand will be a bounty of school supplies as part of the department’s School All Year initiative started earlier this year to make sure students have the tools they need to succeed in the classroom.

Supporting the community and local youth isn’t something that can be done one day per year, Davis said. It’s an ongoing, year-round effort, and one that MPD intends to actively take on. From helping out with school supplies to Christmas toys to clothes, he said, there will always be a need.

One such need, he said, is jackets. A local teacher let him know many students do not have jackets for colder weather, Davis said, and that is an area where MPD can help.

“Christmas is just a day that we celebrate, but this stuff, what we’re doing, this help, it goes all year long,” he said.

Those interested in registering for the toy drive can sign up by calling Marion Town Hall at 601-483-9573.

Anyone interested in contributing to the drive, either with toys or monetary donations, can stop by town hall or call to make arrangements.