January 4, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
Children at the Smithville Head Start Center last month were treated to bags of gifts thanks to the Smithville Police Department’s “Cops4Kids” program.
In what has become an annual event, Police Chief Mark Collins and members of the department made sure each child had a bag of toys. Sabrina Kirksey and Amber Spurgeon provided the musical entertainment, the Christmas Story was delivered by Ryan Huling of New Life Pentecostal Church & Pickles. The children also got a visit from Santa and the Grinch.
Chief Collins said the effort is made possible due to generous donations of the community and the help of Cash Express who conducted a collection drive.
“Cash Express puts out the collection boxes at local businesses for toys, food, clothing and money jars in addition to their annual Fill the Cop Car and Bake Sale event. The toys and money are then given to the police department while the food collected goes to God’s Food Pantry and the clothing to the Hope Center to help with their ministries. Most toys are for the younger children, so the money is spent to purchase gifts for the 11-year-olds and up. We also purchase clothing items if requested by the parent,” said Chief Collins.
The Smithville Police Department’s “Cops4Kids” program began in 2012 and has served Smithville Head Start children with gifts at Christmas time since 2015 along with others requesting and needing help.
“The first year the department started with $300 and donations from our community. From that we were able to provide food, entertainment, and gifts to 108 children. This year we were able to provide gifts to 246 children,” Chief Collins continued.
A special thanks goes to Cash Express and to RealSource who joined in the effort this year.
“The department has enjoyed its partnership with Cash Express and a special lady in particular, Evelyn Woods, who donates gifts throughout the year. We are truly grateful for her support. This year, the department also partnered with RealSource who obtained forms from the local schools that parents filled out and returned to the teachers if they desired help. This allowed the department to help more children in the community,” added Chief Collins.
“The department is thankful for the support and partnerships it has formed with the public. The children of this community are the city, county, and state’s future and any help and encouragement to them can go a long way in molding who they will become,” Chief Collins concluded.