Скачать или смотреть Operation Yuletide: Greensboro Police Department deliver Christmas gifts to local families

The Greensboro Police Department loaded vehicles to maximum capacity with Christmas presents for families in need across Greensboro, during its Operation Yuletide program.

Looking to spread the holiday spirit, 60 families and 200 senior residents who have affected by serious crimes and accidents throughout this year were provided with gifts -- which contain children toys, new clothing, blankets, essential household items, and much more.

For over a decade, this holiday tradition has become a staple in the Greensboro community. As this holiday initiative has experienced a gradual increase in the amount of resources made available to support more families enduring tough times.

Lieutenant Ryan Todd, who currently serves as the Greensboro Police Department's executive officer of District 3 patrol, says having all-hands available for this event's execution is crucial for stepping up for those who have recently experienced hardship.

"We see the very best and sometimes very worst in people," Todd said. "You see pain and you see tragedy. You know that toward the end of the year, there's going to be loss or suffering. We want to reconnect with those families and remind them that they're not forgotten."

When determining the individuals who will receive these gifts, which range from new bicycles for children to easy-to-make food supplies, Lieutenant Todd explains that this selection process is intentionally and thoughtfully orchestrated by Greensboro Police officers; recalling previous families that they remember previously serving.

"Our Office of Community Engagement will send out a bulletin across the department [to] see if there's a family an officer has encountered over the course of the year," Todd said. "The officers go and remember those families that they've interacted with... or sometimes just someone they know who's in need."

Hand-delivering these Christmas presents directly at the doorsteps of these families, Todd believes these interactions highlight the outreach of the program's influence throughout the local community.

"I absolutely love when you get to go and actually meet some of these families," Todd said. "I get to go into their home... and meet some of their children, their friends, and their family [to] give them these gifts. That sort of interaction, where you can tell that they are excited and there's a sense of relief and joy from them, is extremely rewarding."

In regard to the collection of products and items that could be found in these presents, the Greensboro Police Department emphasize that these supplies were generously purchased and donated by a mixture of Greensboro residents, community partners, local businesses, stakeholders, volunteers, several Triad nonprofit organizations, and even from some of their own police officers too. #localnews #GPD #GreensboroNC #GuilfordCounty #OperationYuletide