The Durham Rescue Mission on Monday is holding its 47th annual Christmas community dinner and toy giveaway.

The Durham Rescue Mission on Monday is holding its 47th annual Christmas community dinner and toy giveaway.

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the men's campus on East Main Street in Durham, with volunteers braving the cold to make a free warm Christmas meal for families who may not have one this year.

Every child who attends the event will receive three toys. For adults, there will be a drawing for large grand prizes, including Smart TVs, Nintendo Switches, Chromebooks and bicycles.

There will also be carnival games with prizes and bounce houses. Clothing and groceries will be distributed to attendees.

"Christmas is the most special time of year," said Rev. Rob Tart, president and CEO. "Gifts, family, friends, and fun are the ingredients for a special Christmas time. However, there are still people in our community that don't have all those ingredients. That's why we are having our annual Christmas Party. We want to ensure that every child in the Triangle has a great Christmas."

In November, the Durham Rescue Mission held its Thanksgiving dinner, feeding thousands of people with 200 turkeys.

Ernie Mills, Jr., vice president of development for the Durham Rescue Mission, said giving away Thanksgiving meals means just as much to volunteers as it does to recipients.

"It's a way to express our gratitude by giving back," Mills said. "We invite people. It's not just the poor, we invite everybody to come out. There are a lot of people that are lonely on Thanksgiving, or maybe their family is across the country and they have no one to spend it with. Come spend it with us."