For over 60 years, Missouri Girls Town has been providing love and care for girls who have been abused and neglected.

So, when Montgomery City resident Brooke River found out the facility was having a holiday collection drive several years ago, she didn’t waste any time deciding that she wanted to participate.

“It’s pretty cool to be a part of something that is so much bigger than myself every year,” said River, a 2022 Montgomery County High School graduate who is now a sophomore at St. Charles Community College. “It’s a way to give back and I really enjoy that.”

River’s sixth annual Missouri Girls Town Christmas Drive is underway as she will be collecting gifts from donors to help make Christmas special for the residents at Missouri Girls Town, which is located in Kingdom City.

“They have a bunch of different residential houses there,” River said. “So we take them up to one of the houses and drop everything off. Then, they have a big Christmas.”

River collects items from the wish lists of the Missouri Girls Town residents. She said her drive has gotten so popular the last three years that she and her family had to take a dump trailer to take everything since there were so many donations.

“I feel really lucky to live in such a supportive community that gives back because it would not be possible without people donating things,” River said. “Once I get all of the donations, I organize them and I transport them to Missouri Girls Town.”

River first started her drive in 2018, when she was a freshman at MCHS. She said she is just happy to help out the Missouri Girls Town residents who will likely be spending Christmas without their loved ones.

“The first year, I felt super lucky to be a part of it,” River said. “I felt like what I donated at the time was a huge amount. Looking now at what I’m able to bring is so much more. I feel like the girls get to have their own items they want now and I’m able to donate them. I think that’s even cooler. I think people like to get involved. We had a lot more people who kind of joined to donate. We have a bunch of yearly donors who have donated consecutively for the past few years.”

Missouri Girls Town opened in 1959 in Mountain Grove before relocating to Kingdom City 23 years later.

River said she has been getting plenty of appreciation from the staff members at the facility.

“People are just happy that I’m there, which is so cool,” River said. “I got to meet a lot of the girls the first year that I did it, which was really special. I got to see the facility and meet a lot of people I was actually donating to. I know everybody is super appreciative. For a lot of these girls, it’s their first real Christmas, getting the things they asked for.”

River said anyone who would like to donate items or has questions about the drive can contact her by email at mgtchristmasdrive@gmail.com.

“We have to go around and collect a lot of things so people don’t have to take it to the actual facility,” River said. “We’ll collect it, organize it and make sure it all gets there.”