METROPOLIS, Ill. — The 4th annual Southern 7 Toy Run raised $7,259, which will be donated to Project Santa in North Carolina. The donation will help purchase Christmas gifts for children affected by Hurricane Helene.

“Our kids still have a home, and these kids over there don’t have anything. A lot of them live in tents and they have absolutely nothing. So, we – we thought that, you know, we could – we could make it work for them as well as us too,” said Southern 7 Toy Run President Don Smith.

Earlier this month, Smith and Mitchell Wylie teamed up with other community members to collect donations to send to a church in Asheville, North Carolina. Smith said those donations were appreciated.

“We filled a 48-foot semi-trailer from floor to ceiling and it turned out really, really well,” Smith said.

On Saturday, the group hosted a car and bike show, inspiring the community to have fun and support a good cause. Typically, the Toy Run purchases Christmas gifts for children in all seven southern Illinois counties: Alexander, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski and Union. However, organizers wanted to continue to meet the needs in North Carolina.

“I think we’ve all been faced with the fact that when you wake up in the morning as a kid and you don’t have anything… it’s really a hole in your heart, you know. So, we just try to fill that little bit of a hole and let them know that someone still loves them and is thinking about them,” Smith said.

Kim Starks, sponsor and supporter of the event, said she was happy to help.

“Because I have children. And I know what it means to wake up on Christmas morning and have nothing and these people are living in tents right now… We have to take care of our own within our States,” Stark said.

Smith knows money is tight, but he hopes the community will help if they can.

“Times are tough and a lot of these families are struggling just to keep food on the table,” Smith said.

To donate, contact Smith at 270-816-0439. On December 1, the money will be sent to Project Santa in North Carolina.