Santa’s helpers need a little help this year.

Toy donations are lagging for the 10th annual Christmas Eve morning breakfast taking place in the showroom of the Manteca Ford dealership, 555 North Main St.

Last year the effort served breakfast to 1,500 people — many who started lining up two hours earlier in the predawn cold to allow their children to have a hot breakfast and receive an age appropriate toy from Santa.

The free event is Sunday, Dec. 24, from 8 to 11 a.m.

Organizer Phil Waterford said while they have received generous toy donations from groups such as the Women of Del Webb at Woodbridge, they are still running way behind in terms of needed toys. Roughly a third of the 1,500 breakfasts served are to children up through the age of 12 that organizers strive to make sure leave the dealership with an age appropriate gift.

Unwrapped toys can be dropped off at the dealership today through Saturday.

“It’s beautiful to see how the volunteers and everyone steps up to make the event a success,” Waterford said.

The breakfast of pancakes, eggs, ham, hot chocolate, milk and chocolate milk is made possible in part by donations from Foster Farms and Nu-Laid Eggs. Inner City Action and Manteca Rotary are helping to prepare the food.

“There’s a lot of love that goes into it,” Waterford noted.

Second Harvest Food Bank is partnering with Manteca Ford this year. They will provide struggling families with a 40-pound bag of groceries as well as fresh produce from a truck they will have parked at the dealership.

For more information call Manteca Ford at 239-3561.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com