FFFF000000060001001277AA00000000007C000000001001210000001-7FFD670020000480048-29D2F220074318-104A262F2212FFFF0142564E34010001304010001000000890000000204B260840250609D26216C24AB02CC00020A262163D04B29E1408425276509D262F216A523028C40113BCE147FF00002000004B800000000 4B2,By Amy D. Fienen
RECORDER STAFF WRITER
The Kingsburg Police Department is calling this year’s Community Christmas Toy Drive the most successful one they’ve had since the effort to provide toys for underprivileged children began ten years ago.
“It was even bigger than we expected,” said Officer Reggie Gierke, who was in charge of this year’s collection efforts. “We had twice as many toys this year as we did in years past.”
For the past month, toy collection boxes were set up in local businesses for people to donate new, unwrapped toys for children who might not otherwise have a gift to open on Christmas morning. The list of children was compiled by KCAPS, local schools, and from officers within the department. About 1,000 toys were donated, in addition to 23 shiny new bicycles for kids ranging in age from toddlers through high school.
The bikes were donated by Waste Connections, Inc., the company that handles garbage pick-up and recycling in Kingsburg. Waste Connections employees donated $500 of their own money, and the company matched that, bringing smiles to lots of faces as they were presented with, what was in many cases, the first and only bike these children may ever receive.
000200000535000004B2 52F,In past years, it took members of the police and fire departments one afternoon to distribute the gifts to children throughout town. This year, they had so many toys that they spent a good part of Saturday, Dec. 23 and the following afternoon as well passing out gifts.
The procession that went about town included two squad cars, a fire engine and an ambulance, plus a city truck loaded with gifts. Community Services Officer David Michel took on the role of Santa Claus, and was accompanied by Police Chief Jeff Dunn, Officer Gierke, Officer Fuentes, Officer Gonzales, Sergeant Pendley, and four high school Explorers. Several members of the Kingsburg Fire Department also helped out.
Some of the younger children were scared of Santa, but that didn’t stop them from eagerly accepting their gifts, which were all colorfully wrapped, courtesy of the Rafer Johnson Junior High Builders Club and student council.
Gierke credits the success of this year’s toy drive with more involvement from the community’s service clubs, the Kingsburg Police Officer’s Association, and the generosity of residents. Those who contributed will just have to imagine the joy their donation brought to the face of a child when they were presented with a gift.
“Every time we handed a kid a present, their face would just light up,” Gierke said.00040000001500000004011122739E3300050000001500000004011122739E300006000000ED0000000430C30FFFF0C00000
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