SMPD offers gifts for local children
It’s a big job getting toys to every single boy in girl in San Marcos. Even with the magic of Saint Nick, there have to be a few helping hands to get those toys wrapped and the homes of everyone on Santa’s Nice List. Every once in a while, the elves need to little help getting the job done.
On Friday, that need was met by the San Marcos Police Department in the form of the Blue Santa program, which began the process of distributing toys in the culmination of a full year worth of effort. The program is celebrating its 51st year of serving local families and is the largest annual holiday toy giveaway in San Marcos.
The impact of those toys was immediately apparent. One of the first children through the door at 301 N. Edward Gary Street sprinted directly to the Santa donning the blue color of the SMPD. Following a huge hug, he stepped back to see that the Blue Santa had a bicycle just for him. The smile on his face did more than light up the room. It filled the hearts of every volunteer.
“It is just joy,” Laray Taylor, who coordinates the Blue Santa program for the San Marcos Police Department, said. “I’m happy to see that we were able to do that for a child. He walked out the door laughing and smiling. He couldn’t even wait until he got out the door to start riding his bike.”
More than 400 families and 1,000 children signed up to receive gifts. Not only does the effort take a lot of donations and volunteers to put on, it also takes a lot of time.
“Donations is a big thing,” Taylor said. “The donations are what allow us to keep the quality of the toys up. … This distribution is the end of this year, but we’ve already started shopping for next year. It’s a good thing that we did that, because we saw 100 more families than we saw last year. There are also a couple of organizations in town that ask for help as well.”
It takes a lot of volunteers to make it happen. Beyond the 15 or so at the toy distribution on Friday, there were also about as many helping wrap the presents previously. Taylor also wanted to thank the local Meeks family, who owns the Nelson Shopping Center, as well as retailer CVS Pharmacy. The building housing Blue Santa was previously the CVS store. The retailer, along with the Meeks family, have donated the space to Blue Santa in recent years.
For those who are interested in helping, there are plenty of opportunities. Visit sanmarcostx. gov/495/Blue-Santa-Program for more information.
Community members are also invited to support the Blue Santa Program by making monetary donations in person or by mail to the San Marcos Police Department, Attn: Blue Santa. Checks should be made out to San Marcos CPA Blue Santa. All donated funds will be used to purchase toys.
