POMEROY — This holiday season, the Farmers Bank and Savings Company is lending a hand to a Gallia County organization which helps that county’s underprivileged families put presents under the Christmas tree and shoes on the feet of their children.

Farmers has teamed up with the Gallia County Community Christmas Project (GCCCP) to assist in collecting new or gently worn shoes. They will also be hosting a Jingle Bell 5k Walk/Run Race fundraiser at the Riverside Golf Club in Mason, W.Va. on Saturday, Dec. 8.

For those who cannot make it to the Jingle Bell race to take the shoes they have collected, they can be dropped off at any of the Farmers Bank locations prior to the walk/run.

Registration for the race will begin at noon with the kickoff at 2 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for overall winners as well as age group winners. There will also be a prize awarded for best costume.

Refreshments and homemade hot soup will be waiting for the runners at the finish line. Applications for participation are available at any Farmers Bank location or on facebook.com/myfarmersbank, or from Brian Howard at brian.howard@fbsc.com.

Heather Crum, Farmers marketing manager, said that applications for assistance through the GCCCP were distributed through the school system in Gallia County and given to senior citizens through the Gallia County Council on Aging/Senior Resource Center. In 2011, the GCCCP donated to over 1,050 children and 200 seniors in the Gallia County region. The expectation is that even more people will receive Christmas help this year.

She said that more information on the program can be obtained by contacting the Body of Christ Outreach Ministry at 740-388-8050 or e-mail them at bocom4gallia@ymail.com.

For more information about the shoe collection drive or the Jingle Bell 5k, contact Farmers Bank in Pomeroy at 740-992-4121 or e-mail brian.howard@fbsc.com.