Holiday shoppers searching for gifts at the Durango Mall and Walmart can also help bring joy to less-fortunate children, seniors and disabled residents in La Plata County through Project Merry Christmas.

Every year, Project Merry Christmas helps make the holidays brighter for more than 500 families and individuals across the county through donations of toys, food and clothing, nonprofit board president Tauni Gosche said.

Some of the most simplistic requests come from seniors, who have requested socks, slippers, and in one case, just a pecan pie, she said.

“To me it’s just humbling. It makes you appreciate what you have,” she said.

So many gifts are purchased each year for the nonprofit, Gosche said she couldn’t even guess at the total value of the donations.

“The community involvement in this thing is huge,” she said.

Those in need send in their requests through La Plata County school districts, head-start programs, La Plata County Human Services’ Department, and other nonprofits and social service agencies.

Residents can ask to adopt a family of a certain size, a disabled individual or a senior by filling out a form on the Project Merry Christmas website. The deadline to turn in an adoption form is Monday. The nonprofit’s goal is to have 250 requests for adoption each year.

Residents can also pick up requests from the nonprofit’s trees at Walmart or its gift-wrapping station in the Durango Mall. The tree at Walmart is dedicated specifically to toys.

The nonprofit accepts only requests from children who are in eighth grade or below, she said.

Requests must be fulfilled and returned to the gift-wrapping station by Dec. 16. The gifts are delivered by the Durango Fire Protection District.

Residents interested in volunteering with Project Merry Christmas can also sign up through the nonprofit’s website.

mshinn@durangoherald.com