Toy Drive Appreciation
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Release Date/Time: 12/31/2020 4:29 PM Release Authorized by: Assistant Chief R. Filice This year the Department intended to host a drive-thru Winter Wonderland event where gifts were going to be given to children aged twelve and under. About a week prior to the event, and after toy donations had been solicited and were underway, the event had to be canceled due to a new COVID-19 shelter in place order. Keeping our commitment to the donors and our community, and in an effort to spread Christmas cheer, the event was restructured as a toy delivery for those in need. An online sign-up was initiated, and the information was released to the media. The response was overwhelming and within the first twelve hours we received far more requests than we had toys; more than 1300 requests at the time. The sign-up had to be closed. We received generous monetary donations from our sponsors and many toy donations from members of our community, with the goal of fulfilling as many requests as possible. In all, we were able to obtain over a thousand toys for children aged infant to twelve years old. Department personnel not only assisted with purchasing toys with donated funds but also took on the monumental task of wrapping every single gift and sorting them by gender and age for distribution. Deliveries were organized and accomplished thanks to the effort and hard work of those who volunteered. It was an overwhelming challenge made possible only by flawless organization. Officers and support personnel dressed up as the Grinch, Santa Claus and an elf while making toy deliveries in the SWAT vehicle. As the day progressed, patrol personnel volunteered to help deliver toys when they became available during their shift. Deliveries ended at approximately 8:00 pm, and as a result of everyone's combined efforts, more than one thousand gifts were delivered to children throughout the City of Salinas. The Chief would like to thank all personnel and volunteers involved for making this happen. Personnel and volunteers donated a smile to those who needed it the most, our children. Absolutely none of this would have been possible without the efforts of those listed below. Police Personnel: Matt Maldonado, Kim Robinson, Luis Bravo, Dana Cornelison, Gerry Magana, Steve Sparks, Danny Warner, Ruby Alvarez, Gabe Carvey, Zach Dunagan, Chayene Garcia, Justin Heckman, Ian Kile, Chris Neff, Anthony Parker, Dave Pritt, Ermelinda Reyes, Nic Reyes, Maria Morales, Gloria (Nathaly) Nunez, Juliane Sharpe, Tanya Crawford, Martha Guizar, Angelica (Yazmin) Gutierrez, & Kevin Low. Donors: Dr. Rolando Cabrera and Salinas Police Foundation, Mr. Ollie Lowe, California Water Service, and Salinas Target. |
222 Lincoln Avenue