Kory Blake of Newberg and other Yamhill County 4-H ambassadors sort toys at The Salvation Army's Christmas warehouse in the McMinnville National Guard Armory.

Starla Pointer / News-Register

Volunteers helped sort and package toys this week as The Salvation Army prepared Christmas packages for nearly 1,300 children from more than 500 families.

Families also received food assistance when they picked up their holiday packages Tuesday and today.

Maj. Dennis Trimmer of The Salvation Army said local donors dropped off hundreds of items at toy drives in many businesses around the county. They also took cards from "Angel Trees" and fulfilled the wishes of many individual children.

Many cards remained on the Angel Trees, Trimmer said. For instance, one was a card listing the wishes of Osbaldo, a 5-year-old boy: "Wrestling guys, Power Rangers, bikes."

Osbaldo and other children whose cards were not taken received gifts from the supply that came in during the toy drives, Trimmer said. "We match their wishes the best we can," he said.

On Monday, during the last-minute push to get all the gift packages put together, about a dozen 4-H ambassadors volunteered their time. The teens were on vacation from schools in Yamhill-Carlton, Dayton, McMinnville and Newberg.

"4-H encourages youths to pledge their hands to service," said Mike Knutz, director of the Yamhill County 4-H program. "Last month the ambassadors were doing Christmas cards for National Guard members in Afghanistan This month, they're helping children right here in the county."