Houston County sheriff's deputies collecting coats, clothing for needy children for Christmas
When Houston County sheriff's deputies first started helping the Marine Corps Reserve deliver toys for needy children on Christmas Eve, they noticed something.
"Some of the children didn't have very warm clothing," said sheriff's Lt. Clay Chambers.
Touched by the children and their families, deputies decided they would collect coats, clothing and shoes the next year to give out during the annual Toys for Tots deliveries.
"Each year, it's gotten a little bit bigger," said Chambers, who's helping organize the clothing drive, now in its third year.
Donations have been sought by word of mouth and via a posting on the agency's Facebook page.
"We just keep getting piles of clothes," Chambers said. "People are very generous."
New and gently used clothing, coats and shoes are what deputies hope to round up, but they're not turning down toys or donations of money, Chambers said. Some businesses have donated bicycles as well.
Chambers would like to have all the donations turned in by Tuesday in order for the clothing to be sorted into sizes and to wash any of the gently used items.
"We're taking them down to the jail and getting them washed in the big commercial washing machines so that everything is nice and clean when we give them out," he said.
Giving back to the community, with such efforts as the clothing drive, helps improve relationships, Chambers said.
"We just want to have a better relationship between us and the community. A lot of people see us at the worse times in their life, and we want to just be able for them to see us when they're not in distress and know that we care and we're out here to make a difference."
The reward for their effort is evident in the faces of the children and their parents when the gifts are passed out, Chambers said.
"The reason we do it is to see the smiles on the children's faces and to see the parent, as they really appreciate it because we know some of them cannot provide stuff for their children. Just to see their face when they get a warm coat ... or a toy from Toys for Tots. That's what makes it all worthwhile."
Donations may be taken to the Houston County Sheriff's Office at 202 Carl Vinson Parkway. For more information, contact Chambers at 542-2080.
To contact writer Becky Purser, call 256-9559, or find her on Twitter @becpurser.
This story was originally published December 19, 2015 at 9:12 PM with the headline "Houston County sheriff's deputies collecting coats, clothing for needy children for Christmas ."