The Christiansburg Police Department lent its hands this week to help collect toys for children in the area. Pictured are: (from left) Sgt. P.R. Townley, Lt. D. Hale and patrol officer D.M. Reynolds.
Members of the Christiansburg are getting into the Christmas spirit as part of their annual “Santa and Blue Elves” collection effort. It has become a tradition for the department to identify families that are of need of assistance and don’t have other avenues for Christmas.
Sgt. P.R. Townley said the department works with the Department of Social Services and tries to help area residents that cannot receive assistance from other agencies like the Christmas Store or area churches.
“We try to do toys, but also things like basic needs and clothing to help the families,” he said.
The group has been collecting toys for the past few weeks and have gotten sponsors that will allow them to go shopping.
The department has been doing the holiday effort for over a dozen years, serving 8-12 families and as many as 50-plus area seniors.
Police Chief Mark Sisson said the Santa and the Blue Elves also gives his department another outlet for community outreach.
“Santa and the Blue Elves is a great program that allows us another avenue for interacting with our community – something we are always trying to accomplish. As police officers, we feel our duty to our residents goes beyond what we do every day in our patrol cars, and we’ve been blessed with an amazingly supportive community, so this program is one way we like to give back,” he said.
Townley said Santa and his blue elves will delve the items on Christmas Eve.
For more information on the Blue Elves collection, contact the Christiansburg Police Department at 382-331.
