NATCHEZ — Santa’s helpers take on many guises, and many have stopped by the Natchez Children’s Home through the months leading up to Christmas this year.

Monday, one of those helpers came in the form of Kaontra “Kmac” Murray, several of his family members and business associates.

The group met with the 27 children in the Children’s Home’s ABCs Learning center, 3- and 4-year-olds who are receiving behavioral and academic counseling in preparation for entering kindergarten.

The gifts Murray distributed to the children included a toy, a pair of socks and a packaged travel-size toothpaste and toothbrushes. Murray said he wanted to dedicate the gift-giving to the memory of his grandmother, Alfreda Brown, a long-time resident of Natchez who died in January 2011.

“My grandmother went out of her way to help everybody,” he said. “I felt like this was something she would do.”

Children’s Home Director Nancy Hungerford said many groups and individuals — too many to list — have given to the children’s home during the holiday season, but as a privately funded charitable organization, the home can always use donations.

“We need laundry detergent, food items, office supplies,” she said. “We need everything you need at your house, we just need bigger quantities.”

In recent years, in response to changes in how child welfare operations are now conducted the organization has shifted from its original mission of housing orphans.

Under new standards, children are ideally housed in foster homes until they can be permanently placed. The Children’s Home now provides education, counseling, advocacy and intervention for at-risk children and families and a Children’s Advocacy Center for abused and exploited children.

While the children’s home does not house children anymore, Hungerford said it still operates a full kitchen for two meals a day and a snack for the children who use its services, and it still has to meet its bills on time.

“We have a 12,000-square foot building full of services for children, and it has got to be cleaned and maintained,” she said.

For more information about the children’s home, which is located at 806 N. Union St., call 601-442-6858.