The McHenry-based Rotary Secret Santa program is taking assistance requests from families throughout McHenry County through Wednesday.

Those in need of holiday gifts for children ages infant to 12 can click on the assistance tab at www.sunrisesecretsanta.com and complete the online form for consideration, program founder and chairman Mike Lehman said in a news release.

Volunteers are signed up to sort and wrap thousands of gifts the week of Dec. 13, with deliveries scheduled for Dec. 19.

Begun in 2014 by McHenry Sunrise Rotary, the program now is coordinated by the McHenry Area Rotary, which formed in 2020 as the merger of the Sunrise club and the Rotary Club of McHenry, according to the release.

For the past several years, the effort has provided about 8,000 toys to about 2,000 children annually, Lehman said.

While the Marines Toys for Tots program supplies the lion’s share of the toys, community members also donate. And this year, a $5,700 McHenry Home Depot grant is covering dozens of toys to fill expected gaps in the newborn-to-3 and 10- to 12-year-old categories.

The donation includes 181 children’s items, including items like art sets and remote-controlled monster trucks, according to the release.

New, unwrapped toys still can be donated through Dec. 18, Lehman said. Drop-off sites include McHenry District 15 schools as well as Alex’s Drive Inn, Buddyz Pizzeria and Gary Lang Auto Group in McHenry, plus the Lake House on Pistakee, Northern Light Care and Stucky’s Bar and Grille in Johnsburg.

Volunteer opportunities can be found by completing the sign-up form at www.sunrisesecretsanta.com/get-involved.