A step closer to a bright Christmas, for area needy children

BEATRICE - An annual law enforcement holiday giving campaign in southeast Nebraska has been successful again.  With lights flashing and sirens blaring, Beatrice Police vehicles delivered donated toys to the local YMCA Friday…..the result of this season’s Stuff the Cruiser event, held outside the Walmart store, during the Thanksgiving weekend.

The local Fraternal Order of Police chapter members used the department’s mobile crime lab bus to allow residents to donate purchased toys for needy children this holiday season. Cash contributions could be made, as well. Sergeant Derrick Hosick says a lot of items and money were donated and the project never disappoints.

"There was probably at least a dozen bikes...lot of infants and younger kids things, those are easy to shop for...easy for people to go in and grab one or two things. We got quite a few monetary donations, we're up to about three-grand, so we use that to supplement some of the older stuff, for the older kids."

An army of volunteers were unloading the gifts….assembly—line style…including members of non-profit organizations that take part in getting the toys to the kids.  "They will be the ones who have identified the families...they are the ones who work with the families, so today is all about just getting us all in one spot, figuring out what we need, figuring out identifications of families and age groups and stuff. They'll take them and kind of do their own thing, from there."

Hosick says the favorite part for police is the generosity of people during the holiday season….giving to others even at a time some of them may be struggling, themselves.  "There's some people I know personally, either through working or off-duty stuff....that I know are giving quite a bit and its pretty generous for them to be giving. Those are the things that I love...when I know that people are budgeting for themselves but yet still make this a priority for them and their kids....it's fantastic."

This year’s toy donation was a one-day collection, held the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend…though additional donations of cash or toys could be made at Beatrice Police headquarters leading up to Friday’s distribution. This was the seventh year for the local Stuff the Cruiser event, coordinated by Lodge 84 of the Beatrice Fraternal Order of Police.