MURPHYSBORO, IL (KFVS) - The city of Murphysboro will be hosting a Santa's favorite cookie contest on December 10.

The contest will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Print Shop, across from the General John A. Logan Museum.

The city says here is how it works:

CARBONDALE, IL (KFVS) - The Public Relations Student Society of America at the Southern Illinois University of Carbondale will present $100 gift cards to 10 children of university students during the Shop with a Cop event on Tuesday, Dec. 6.

The event will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Campus police will pick the children up and take them to Kohl's and help them use the gift cards to pick out and buy gifts for their family members.

The officers will then bring the children back to the Student Center Ballroom D where PRSSA members will help wrap the gifts.

SIUC says Santa will attend the wrap-up party and the children and their families will also enjoy crafts, entertainment and refreshments.

PRSSA is a registered student organization at SIUC including 50-55 students with an interest in public relations. The group created the event to promote campus unity and provide holiday cheer for participating Saluki families.

CARBONDALE, IL (KFVS) - Over 1,500 pounds of non-perishable food items and $457 in cash donations were raised during a two-day food drive event on Saturday, Oct. 22 and Saturday, Nov. 5.

Chiropractic and wellness center, Allied Physicians and Rehab, held the event at Schnucks, along with a month-long, in-office effort to benefit the Good Samaritan Ministries Food Pantry.

“Food drives like the one provided by Allied Physicians & Rehab are what’s keeping us going at this point,” said Mike Heath, executive director of Good Sam.  “We have had 25-30% of our budget cut, but numbers of those we assist continue to rise, so we are very grateful of Allied for doing this community a real service."

Heath estimated the total collections would last the pantry roughly a week, based off of October figures that the pantry fed 1,475 people.