FERRIDAY — Santa won’t be the only one spreading holiday cheer this Christmas.

The Concordia Christmas Charity Fund, sponsored by the Ferriday Chamber of Commerce, provides less-fortunate families in the parish with a bag of groceries and at least one toy for families with children.

The groceries include flour, sugar, ham, rice and other essentials necessary to make two or three meals.

The toys, going to children ages 1 through 11, are sorted depending on age and gender. Children who are 12 receive a gift card.

Director Rena Pitts said the charity began in the late 1980s when a group came to town claiming they were raising money for a charity and then left town with all the money.

“The goal is to make sure there are children in the parish that have at least one toy and a little more food on the table for the holidays,” Pitts said.

Pitts said they are fortunate to have plenty of volunteer help through their board of trustees, but that the fund always needs monetary donations.

Monetary donations can be made at the Delta Music Museum or any of the three banks in Concordia Parish, which include, Concordia Bank, Tensas State Bank and Delta Bank.

Pitts said all donations are accepted, big or small, and that people can leave their name with the donation or leave an anonymous donation.

Donations left with a name or in memory of someone will be printed in the Concordia Sentinel.

Families wanting to receive help can fill out and submit an application at those same locations. Applications are due Dec. 9.

Pitts said the fund has found a good system of preparing and distributing the donations.

“It runs really smooth with the help of the trustees who have always been willing to help and they enjoy being able to give back to the community,” Pitts said.

In recent years Walmart has started sorting and shrink wrapping the toys for the fund, which Pitts said saves them a great deal of time.

“None of it could be done without the volunteers and the trustees and the efforts of the community,” Pitts said. “There’s a lot of organization that goes on behind the scene, but it really works well.”

The trustees and volunteers take the packaged toys and combine that with the bags of food the day before distribution.

Distribution will be on Dec. 17.

For more information on the fund or how to donate, contact Pitts at 318-757-2320.