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City police deliver gifts to families
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
When several police show up at someone’s front door, smiles are usually hard to come by.
But not Thursday. That’s because members of the department’s Community Police Unit along with some members of the vice squad came bearing gifts for the holiday season.
For the third-straight year, the CPU is giving gifts to needy families in the city for the holiday. Patrol officers also will help out giving gifts Saturday.
Detective Sgt. Pat Kelly, head of the CPU, said this year the department had more than 50 requests for help, the most it has had. Gifts were donated by citizens when the department had a Fill A Cruiser event earlier this month, as well as from the Marine Corps Reserve Toys For Tots program. And for the third-straight year, an anonymous donor also supplied the department with Walmart gift cards, which allowed police to buy specific gifts for some children as well as coats and gloves and hats, since some families did not have gear for the winter.
At her South Side home, officers delivered a Christmas tree and the trimmings to Crystal Garrett and her two children, Donovan, 4, and Malik, 18. Garrett said she is on hard financial times, and her old Christmas tree was ruined when her basement flooded and she had to throw it out.
“Now it’s Christmas,” she said through a smile. “Without a tree, it’s not Christmas.”
The Garretts also received gifts and clothing for the winter.
At the East Side home of Akaia Hutchins, a single mother of five who works while her husband is in prison, she said the gifts her family received were a relief because she always worries about saving enough to buy presents for the holidays.
“It will help out a lot,” Hutchins said. “You kind of wonder how you’re going to get gifts.”
Officers also replaced gifts taken earlier this week from the North Side apartment of Ceera Brown during a burglary. She was beaming as she watched her three children open their gifts.
“It’s a blessing,” Brown said. “I’m so happy my kids are happy.”
At his North Side home, Jared Huston watched as his daughter, Lilith, 3, played with her new doll and his son, Elden, 2, played with a set of building blocks. Hudson said he is glad for the help.
“This is amazing,” Hudson said. “It helps us out so much.”
Police Chief Robin Lees said the gift card donor is a big help to the program, and the donor told Lees he started giving the gift cards because he wanted to see better police relations with the community and continues to give them because he has seen progress in that area.
Kelly said he enjoys handing out the gifts because it is a bright spot in what can sometimes be a bleak profession. He said he was not surprised there were enough donations to cover all the requests for gifts this year.
“Youngstown takes care of Youngstown,” Kelly said.