Throughout the month of July, Montgomery County residents will get a chance to help make a positive difference in the life of a child.

Birthday Blessings is holding a Gifting Hope campaign through the end of July. The organization, which is based in West Plains, looks to collect 1,000 items for kids in need. There are 26 collection points throughout the state, one of them is the Subway Restaurant at 1030 South Sturgeon in Montgomery City.

There is a box at the restaurant for anyone who wants to donate toys. New and unopened gifts can be dropped off during business hours. The drive ends on July 31.

“These kids are lacking so much,” Subway owner Marcia Sevier said. “When they move from home, a lot of times they go with the trash bag that their clothes are in. They don’t have a whole lot that they can do on their own, so I think it’s important to give them a gift that recognizes them for who they are. Those special events in life are sometimes overlooked because they are not in a family.”

Sevier said she was asked by Birthday Blessings volunteer Cheri Joyce if she was interested in participating in the drive.

“I was talking to her one day and she said, ‘Hey, you’re up there in Montgomery City. Would it be OK if we put that box there. I said, ‘Sure.’ That’s a great idea for foster kids because I know so many of them are left out,” Sevier said.

A former probation officer in Audrain County, Joyce wanted to be a volunteer so she could help the children get what they need.

“I just wanted to help out in whatever way I could,” Joyce said. “They needed collection spots, so that’s when I jumped in and said, ‘Sure.’ I know there are kids who need (items) and I will do whatever I can to help you.”

Birthday Blessings is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. It is a non-profit organization that helps provide Missouri foster children with gifts for birthdays, graduations, holidays and many other special requested needs. It serves 30 counties throughout the state, including Montgomery County.

Shannon VonAllmen, executive director of Birthday Blessings, said the Gifting Hope campaign is in its first year.

“Typically, we have a donor match campaign in April,” VonAllmen said. “We have an anonymous donor who matches $10,000 in donations. Sometimes they would do it in the fall, so this year we would try a summer fundraiser where we would have a goal to collect 1,000 items to put in birthday bags.”