FERRIDAY — Hundreds of people will receive Christmas gifts and a bag of groceries on Saturday thanks to the generosity of members of the Ferriday community who donated to the Concordia Parish Christmas Fund.

The disbursements will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday in the Ferriday High School Cafeteria, where more than 750 people will benefit from the generous donations, said Rena Pitts, chair of the Concordia Parish Christmas Fund.

Pitts said all families would receive bags containing canned corn, canned green beans, a small ham, canned sweet potatoes, rice and a box of macaroni and cheese.

Pitts said the application deadline has passed for families to receive the items but families who did apply provided names and ages of their children. The toys are for children ages 2 to 12.

“The children will either receive a toy or a gift card for the children who are 12 years old,” Pitts said.

The fund is sponsored by the Ferriday Rotary Club, which started the charity in 1982.

Pitts said the program operates off of monetary donations, and volunteers use the money to buy the toys and food, which are purchased locally.

“This fund means a lot to the community,” Pitts said. “I know that there will be some children who will actually get a toy for Christmas that would have not received one from their family. There are people who don’t have enough food stamps to buy the necessary food to feed the kids and the family. Just to know they will have some extra food to use for a Christmas dinner or everyday meal, it means a lot.”

The bags of toys and groceries will be distributed to the families beginning at 8 a.m. on Dec. 21 at Ferriday High School cafeteria.