Big hearts
Published: December 12, 2005
Shoppers young and old donate funds, food and gifts to help those less fortunate
Christmas tunes poured from the loud speakers, “Have a holly, jolly Christmas,” as Dan Reilly and his daughter, Katherine, stopped at a table decorated with candy canes placed together to make hearts.
Eleven-year-old Katherine gingerly walked over and placed cash in a donation bucket then ran back to her father.
“Thank you,” Colorado State Trooper Joy Grissom called to the youngster. “Happy holiday.”
Katherine was happy to put the money in the Santa Cops donation bucket.
“There’s kids that needed it,” she said.
She and her father were among the many shoppers who bustled down the sidewalks at Promenade Shops at Centerra on Sunday and noticed the Colorado State Patrol food and toy drive. They walked by several times before stopping.
“That’s what Christmas is all about: Giving,” Reilly said.
“I don’t give enough. I want more than anything to set an example for her, so she knows it is important.”
While many people walked right on by, many others stopped, talked to the troopers and donated money, food and gifts to the less fortunate. The bounty — two barrels of food and two tubs of toys — will benefit Santa Cops of Larimer County and the Food Bank for Larimer County. Donors also gave $140 for the food bank and $227 for Santa Cops.
Earlier in the day, a child with long brown hair stopped to donate before going ice skating with her family, said Trooper Joy Grissom, who organized the toy and food drive that she hopes to make an annual event.
“She brought her allowance,” Grissom said. “She had $2, and she wanted to help other kids.”
Helping others, and meeting residents in a non-emergency situation, is what the drive is all about, Grissom said.
“It’s good to be involved in the community besides making traffic stops to show we care about them in a more personal way,” she said.
Fort Collins resident Jan Jackson decided to help two ways. She brought $10 for the food bank and two stuffed bears and a stuffed Scottie dog.
Every year, she donates to Santa Cops because her son is a state trooper in Nevada. She and her parents do not exchange gifts so they can spend the money on people who need it more, Jackson said.
As she walked off into the crowd, Jackson turned Grissom’s “Thank you,” right back at her.
“We appreciate all you do,” Jackson said.
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: