1,580 children receive toys from Durham Rescue Mission's Christmas event

More than 1,580 children received bags of toys Friday at the Durham Rescue Mission and 2,872 meals were served.

Friday marked the 46th annual Christmas Toy Giveaway and Community Dinner, a holiday tradition in Durham!

There was a large turnout when the doors at 1201 E. Main St. opened at 11 a.m., and the weather was sunny with temperatures nearing 60 degrees.

More than 560 volunteers were working as early as 5 a.m. to check the box on every need a family might have during the holiday season, with a hot meal station and dining area and a bag of groceries available for families to take home.

Food provided for the community included vegetables, cooked hams. turkeys and 3,000 hot dogs. The turkeys cooked overnight and were taken off the grill for carving at 5 a.m. Volunteers began plating desserts at 7 a.m.

Durham Rescue Mission's CEO Rob Tart said every child at the event will receive at least three toys, and families can enter drawings for door prizes.

Across the street, families can pick up free clothing while children play games.

All the generosity serves a big need in this community.

"We've been running record numbers the whole year, and when the weather got cold -- boom, we broke records," Tart said. "There's just a lot more need this year than I've seen in a long time for basic stuff."

Tart said, at the Durham Rescue Mission's annual Thanksgiving event, the 2023 dinner broke records, serving almost 3,000 people.

In 2022, the Christmas dinner occurred during bitterly cold weather, with high winds packing families inside the mission.

"It's been a very difficult year," Tart said in 2022. "If you're trying to pay the rent, if you're paying rent, you're in trouble. Food prices are high. Everything is high. Christmas comes with relentless accuracy. It sneaks up on some of us occasionally. It's always on the calendar. We want to help those parents who may be struggling right now."