Moniteau County Toys for Tots has a new program coordinator for the organization.
California resident Kris Ingram has officially taken over the position after the departure of previous coordinator Dan Mesey and his wife Carol.
After moving to area from the state of California, Ingram approached the Meseys for an opportunity about working for the organization. He said he had a lot of experience working with Toys for Tots, the United Way and the Make-A-Wish Foundation and wanted to put those skills to use in his family's new home of Moniteau county.
Four years later, the Meseys would decide to step away from their responsibilities at the Moniteau County Toys for Tots and pass the role to someone else for the future. Soon after, they approached Ingram and his wife Dyan to see if they were up for the task.
"It's been wonderful (working as coordinator)," Ingram said. "We've had so much help. We've got a great community that we can reach on."
He said the Meseys are still a great resource. If he has any questions about the role, he can always reach out to them.
"Dan and Carol, they built the foundation and they did a great job. and then they kind of just passed them on to us," Ingram said. "But it's not like we had to build things from the ground up, because the foundation was already laid in there."
Ingram said he and his wife also remain very close with fellow Toys for Tots coordinators in Washington D.C., who assist local campaigns if help is required.
"If there's ever a question, you can go and ask. You don't feel like you're out on an island," Ingram said. "(Becoming the coordinator), its been great. We've been a part of this for the last four years. So we kind of knew how the flow and things go. We're just going to try to help more and more kids every single year."
Ingram said the organization always has a plan for families during the holiday. This year Moniteau County Toys for Tots is collecting donations for 79 families, with presents for children from newborn to 16 years old. While many buy toys for children between the ages 5, 6, 7 and 8 years, the organization uses donated money to supplement toys and acquire gifts for every age group.
Although distribution for this year's Toys for Tots gifts will be this Saturday, Ingram said the organization will still accept donations from the community.
"We will always be accepting donations and toys," Ingram said. "If anybody ever wants to, they can reach out to us and donate through Toys for Tots online for (California), Mo...so it stays directly here in Moniteau County. And that's one thing that we want to make sure, that money is raised here and the toys donated here stay within our county. That's something that we pride ourselves on, is keeping it here local and making a difference in Moniteau County."
Serving his community has always been a priority to Ingram and his family. Along with his work with Toys for Tots, he also acts as an assistant football coach for California High School. His wife Dyan is a teacher at California Middle School and is involved in student council and productions with the Finke Theatre.
Ingram said program coordinators have a lot of responsibility and a lot of people are depending on them. He added that it's still very rewarding and refreshing knowing the difference you can make in people's lives. He said people look to you to make their Christmases special.
"We appreciate everybody who's helped, everybody who has donated - from money, from toys, from help. You have a lot of big businesses here and a lot of really good people who step up to make a difference. We're very thankful for the Chamber (of Commerce) and what they do for our community and for Moniteau County and how they have helped us."