’Tis the season to reach out to those less fortunate, and Vicksburg residents have already heeded the call.

On Wednesday night, Operation Christmas Child, a 15-year tradition at First Baptist Church, was under way as children from the church prepared shoeboxes of toys and other items to send off to children in need around the world.

“This is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse,” said Lisa Boleware, one of the parents working with the children. Under the program, the children pack shoeboxes designated for a boy or a girl with toys and other items.

“They pack the boxes with hygiene items like toothbrushes, soap, a comb and washcloths, school supplies, crayons and coloring books and toys,” Boleware said.

First Baptist has served as an Operation Christian Child relay/collection center for 10 years.

On Thursday, the Good Shepherd Community Center held a sign up for their Christmas toy program, which is geared towards families who qualify for assistance in receiving gifts for their children. Names were taken and those who qualify for the program will be adopted out into the Vicksburg community.

Good Shepherd has been offering its toy program for nearly 30 years to the Vicksburg Community and has served more than 10,000 children, Good Shepherd executive director the Rev. Tommy Miller said.

“Last year, we had 511 children, and in the last several years we have done well over 400 children,” Miller said.

On Friday night, Warren Central High School beat No. 2 Tupelo in Class 6A playoffs 30-13. Warren Central dominated the game from the start by recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff and scoring a touchdown. “It’s big. It’s no doubt about it. They were undefeated, most people’s favorite to come out of the North, and the way we handled everything was great,” WCHS coach Josh Morgan said.

The Warren County Sheriff’s Office’s now has the ability to patrol the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers with the delivery of a 33-foot patrol boat donated by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. “This will be the first all-weather patrol boat the Warren County Sheriff’s Office has ever had,” Sheriff Martin Pace said. “It will allow us to provide law enforcement as well as search and rescue capabilities…”