Police save Christmas for area's neediest families

POST FALLS — One hundred and twenty of the neediest families in the region will have a wonderful Christmas this year thanks to holiday heroes who came out in force Sunday morning.

“If it wasn’t for this most of these kids wouldn’t have a Christmas,” said Post Falls Police Captain Greg McLean. “I had a little girl last year whose mother had cancer and her father was in jail. She didn’t care about what she was going to get. It was more important for her to find gloves and stuff for her family.”

The Holidays and Heroes program is an annual event that is planned by all of the police agencies in Spokane and Kootenai counties.

McLean said officers representing every agency form a committee each year and start raising money for the neediest families they can find throughout the year. That committee spends a lot of its time raising money for the event.

This year an estimated $75,000 was raised by all of the law enforcement agencies. Post Falls alone raised $13,000, McLean said.

“Many of the officers also chip in some of their own money, especially if they know a kid really wants something,” McLean said. “About a quarter of our police officers participate, but it all depends on how much money we raise.

“It’s not hard to find officers to participate.”

According to Post Falls Police Chief Scot Haug, that committee asks couselors in the area school districts to nominate children who they feel need the most help.

Haug said he met a child on Sunday that didn’t have any socks and was wearing shredded undergarments.

“His bare feet were sticking out the side of his shoes,” Haug said. “So in cases like that, we correct those issues first and then start shopping for his family.”

For the police officers who participate, McLean said the day starts with briefing at 9 a.m. and then officers are assigned one child.

“They go to their homes and pick them up in a police car and take them shopping at Walmart,” he said. “They pick out presents for their entire family while Santa secretly shops for them.”

After the shopping spree the kids are escorted to the Greyhound Park and Event Center in Post Falls, where dozens of volunteers help the kids wrap their family’s presents.

While the presents were wrapped, the kids are treated to pizza and hot dogs. They also get a photo with Santa.

When they get ready to leave officers load up their cars with presents and two boxes of food, including all the fixings for a Christmas dinner.

Spokane Valley Police Chief Rick VanLeuven said the event is successful largely due to the support of several sponsors. He said Barney’s Grocery Stores in Spokane, Walmart and Spokane Federal Credit Union as well as the Spokane County Sheriff’s Association helped raise much of their money. Twenty five of the kids helped on Sunday were from Spokane Valley, he said.

Coeur d’Alene Police Officer William Long took Sienna shopping. She was able to shop for her mom, dad and little sister.

“She even got to talk on the radio in the car,” Long said, adding he was going to flash his lights and siren on the way home for her.

Spokane Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Young, who helped to organize the event, said he has been doing it for four years. He summed up the feeling for most of the officers.

“It really is a blessing to be part of this."