Christmas came early for some children in Dallas this year as the Dallas Police Department (DPD) and Dallas Fire-Rescue (DFR) partnered with charitable organizations and Target to provide Christmas gifts to participants.
More than 75 local children got the option to go Christmas shopping with DPD Chief Eddie Garcia, a Dallas police officer, or a firefighter at Target Cityplace in Dallas. The participants were given a $100 gift card and a cup of hot cocoa, and also had an opportunity to take a photo with Santa.
“The gift cards were generously donated by Target through a grant and by Safer Dallas Better Dallas,” according to The DPD Beat.
Safer Dallas is a non-profit organization that seeks “to protect our citizens from becoming victims of crime and to engage them in a partnership with Dallas Police, to support the efforts of our Dallas police officers, and to make Dallas America’s safest big city.”
“Safer Dallas is thrilled to partner with this amazing group of community leaders and nonprofits to help transform the holiday season for some very special and deserving kids and their families,” said Courtney Underwood of Safer Dallas in a statement.
Aside from the Christmas shopping, participating children also got to meet members of DFR and DPD, including DPD’s Mounted Unit, K-9 Unit, Drone Unit, and SWAT.
“This event is what the holiday season is all about. We are grateful to be a part of this program and give back to our community,” said Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia in a statement.
“While the focus today is all about the kids, it is also special to our officers, seeing the smiles on their faces. We don’t want our kids to only see us in a moment of crisis. Today is about making connections and building trust for years to come,” Garcia added.
