Spring Valley police deliver presents to local families in need

Before Christmas arrived over the weekend, the Spring Valley Police Department made sure to take time to deliver presents to local families in need through its Christmas drive.

Over the course of multiple nights, the department delivered presents to a total of 31 children at 16 Spring Valley homes.

The presents were purchased entirely through the help and support of local businesses and residents that stepped up to ensure those in need have a merry Christmas.

“A lot of this has been made possible through donations,” said Spring Valley Police Chief Adam Curran. “Whether they’ve been businesses or personal. People are giving anywhere from $100 up to a couple thousand dollars. They’ve all made this possible.”

About 10 years ago, the Spring Valley Police Department began a Shop with a Cop Christmas Drive, along with Project Success. Since then the program has been able to change and grow into a local staple that continues to help those in need.

Curran said that since restarting the program, they have been able to grow from assisting four kids to 31 children in 2022.

Curran added this program is not something the department spends a large amount of time campaigning for, but rather one where the word continues to spread and people want to continue to help out.

“We don’t solicit for anything for this, it’s all been people have heard about it through the word of mouth and it just keeps growing,” Curran said. “A lot of this comes from the United Way, during their giveaways. I’d say it’s probably more from the donation side of things.”

The department wanted to create a program where they weren’t just delivering one present per child, but rather one where they would have the ability to provide multiple items to every child.

“We try to make it as memorable as possible,” Curran said. “So when they are adults and teenagers, they can say ‘Hey, remember that Christmas the police came and gave us a bunch of stuff.’ We want to make it really memorable for them for the rest of their lives.”

As the Spring Valley Police Department handed out gifts for the holiday season, they were reminded of the community-first policing philosophy it follows.

Events like these give the police a chance to interact with the community in a positive and memorable way.

“Giving back goes a long way,” Curran said. “It leads to a lot of mutual respect and cooperation. If you have that kind of relationship with the community, I believe it helps with crimes rates too.”