by Dave Warner
Next Wednesday at noon, the schools are doing a Holiday Spirit Parade through the City. At the same time, people will be able to donate presents for the elderly that are being collected by the Little Falls Police and Fire Departments.
Chief Ron Petrie said, “I had seen where other communities had done a ‘stuff a cruiser’ or ‘stuff a squad car’ type of event for children, but I already knew we were giving toys away through the First Responders Children’s Foundation Toy Express, so I wanted to do something a little different.”
The Chief felt that since we had such a high concentration of elderly that might not have any attention paid to them during the holiday, giving to them would be perfect. “One of the sad parts of police work is that we often interact with the elderly community that has limited family or the family that they do have is a distance away.”
He said that one of his fears is that they may not be getting anything for Christmas unless they buy it for themselves. “Even if it is something small, they’ll be able to say that they got a gift for Christmas. Something they can put under their tree where they know that there are good people out there who provided them with a present” stated the Chief.
Petrie said that he had contacted Dr. Levatino after he had been notified about the Holiday Spirit Parade and asked him if he minded if they set up some sites around the City for donations during the event. “He was overwhelming in support of it, so we put together a few ideas,” he said.
Donations can be dropped off at the Police or Fire Department any time before December 16th, but if you’d like to do so during the parade, there will be people stationed at the Mowhawk Valley Christian Academy on West Monroe Street, Eastern Park by the Veterans Memorial, and the Little Falls Hospital main parking lot.
If you don’t know what to donate, things like crossword books, word search books, novels, winter hats, gloves, scarfs, and gift cards to local shops are some ideas that would work. “Just something that they can have that isn’t going to cost them a dime so that they can be happy for Christmas,” said the Chief.
Volunteers will be out at the three locations with either a large bag or box to collect everything. “As we make our way through, we’ll pick up the items and see if we can fill the back of a police car with them.”
The Chief feels that this year, the pandemic has brought this kind of need to the attention of more people, and it’s a tradition that he would like to see continue. “When you have to make those tough decisions about whether you buy a quart of milk or a loaf of bread and you don’t have the money for both, they sure don’t have the money for a pair of gloves or something.”
He also hopes that these gifts will help with the mental stress that many of the elderly are dealing with. “I think it’s important to do this year, but I hope that it continues into the future.”
If you need more information you can go to the Little Falls Police Department Facebook page or you can call 315-823-1123.