Around Town (12-10-14)

Toy drive and parade

The annual Atwater Kops and Firefighters for Kids Toy Drive and Parade will be 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. The parade begins at Burger King at the corner of Winton Way and Bellevue Road in Atwater and proceeds to City Hall. Bring toys for kids in need.

Boys and Girls

The annual Spirit of Christmas luncheon will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 20 at the Boys & Girls Club, 615 W. 15th Street, Merced. The meal is free and open to all. Participants will receive free groceries. To donate or for more information, call Joe at (209) 726-5251.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly

TOPS, Take Off Pounds Sensibly, meets Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at 2300 Cascade Drive in the clubhouse at Castle Vista. Call (209) 628-9720 for more information.

Season of Giving blood drive

BloodSource Merced is hosting its 2014 Season of Giving drive until Dec. 31. Blood donors will receive a commemorative T-shirt and other items. Last year more than 900 people gave blood, helping to save more than 2,700 lives. The group hopes to collect more than 1,000 donations this month to help 3,000 local patients in need. BloodSouce is at 382 E. Yosemite Ave., Merced and 1040 W. Monte Vista Ave., Turlock. For more information, go to www.bloodsource.org or call (866) 822-5663 to schedule an appointment.

Stroke support group

The local stroke support group is open to anyone who has survived a stroke. Family, friends and caregivers are welcome. Meetings are held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. the second Thursday of every month at Mercy Medical Pavilion, 315 Mercy Ave., third floor, classroom A. There is no cost or registration. Call (209) 564-4310 for more information.

Christmas concert planned

St. Patrick Catholic Church will have its annual Christmas Concert: The Festival of Lessons and Carols at 5 p.m. Dec. 13 at St. Patrick’s, 671 E. Yosemite Ave. Several choirs will be accompanied by a guest string quartet, and the audience will be asked to participate in the caroling. All ages are welcome. There is no charge, but organizers plan to take an offering. For more, call the church office at (209) 383-3924.

Coat drive

The United Way is sponsoring a coat drive to benefit those in need in the community. Please donate new or slightly used coats to United Way of Merced County at 658 W. Main St., Merced. They can be dropped off between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

This story was originally published December 9, 2014 at 6:40 PM with the headline "Around Town (12-10-14)."