Police cadets Chris Gage (left) and Madison McCann with a cruiser nearly full of toys donated during the 2019 Police Cadet Toy Drive at Walmart (Photo by Peter Currier)
WESTFIELD- The Westfield Police Cadets will be hosting a modified version of its sixth annual holiday toy drive to benefit Westfield Public School students.
Lt. Kevin Bard of the Westfield Police Department said that this year’s drive will benefit certain Westfield Public School students from kindergarten to 8th grade, the Greater Westfield Boys and Girls Club, the Salvation Army, and Our House for Teens. This will also mark the fifth year that the Westfield Walmart on Springfield Road will be involved in the event.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s toy drive will not just take place on a single weekend at a single location. The drive will take place on Nov. 29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Dollar General at 617 Southampton Road, Dec. 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at PlayNow! at 5 East Silver St., Dec. 7-11 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Westfield Police Department Headquarters, and Dec. 13 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Walmart.
Police officers and cadets will be stationed at those locations so people can load up police cruisers with donations purchased right from the store.
Bard said that the organizers believe that this year will have a larger number of students who will qualify for the donations because many local families have been impacted financially by the pandemic.
In 2019, 253 Westfield Public School students benefited from the toy drive. Bard said that he would not be surprised to see that number rise beyond 300 students this year. Each school in Westfield will provide the Police Cadets with a list of anonymous students with only their age and gender being identified.
“This event would not be possible without the support of Walmart, Dollar General, PlayNow!, the Cadet Program, and all the generous donations of monetary and unwrapped gifts from the customers who patronize these stores,” said Bard.
The Westfield Cadet Program is for individuals aged 14 to 21 who are interested in learning more about law enforcement. The program is run by Officer Chris Coach, Det. Richard Mazza, and Officer John Kelley. Cadets attend weekly meetings at the police department and will often assist police with events like the Westfield Fireworks, parades, the toy drive, and road races.
