As many prepare for Thanksgiving, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office is getting ready for Christmas with its annual Toy Project in Rancho Cordova.The Sheriff’s Toy Project is a bustling hub of activity, filled with Christmas cheer. Volunteer deputies and sheriff’s office staff get the toys ready in the sheriff’s Santa workshop.LeeAnnDra Marchese runs the program. “I’ve been a law enforcement person a long time, and I’ve seen the really bad things that happen during the holiday season for a variety of reasons,” she said. “If I can be a part of something to give back, to make a kid happy, I’ve done my job.”She said the elves are in the shop, hard at work, assembling hundreds of requests from applicants. Thousands of toys, clothes, and blankets are prepared for Sacramento County families who have been victims of crimes or house fires, or for single parents who cannot afford gifts for their children. Being a law enforcement program, background checks are done. “What makes us very unique to other programs is that you can’t come into this facility and say, ‘Hey, I need free stuff.’ You have to apply. So we verify our applicants, their need, their income, we verify their children,” Marchese said. She said families can’t show up with other people’s children.They also verify the toy makers, with inmates contributing by crafting wooden toys and refurbishing donated bikes. “This inmate work facility allows individuals to work off a sentence, with handpicked participants contributing to the project,” Marchese said. “People come to the work project and need to work off a sentence. We handpick people that come here.”Together, inmates and deputies work to ensure all children receive a gift on Christmas morning. “It really warms your heart,” Marchese said. The program quickly fills up as applications open in early November, and the toy project continually seeks donations to support its efforts.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. —
As many prepare for Thanksgiving, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office is getting ready for Christmas with its annual Toy Project in Rancho Cordova.
The Sheriff’s Toy Project is a bustling hub of activity, filled with Christmas cheer. Volunteer deputies and sheriff’s office staff get the toys ready in the sheriff’s Santa workshop.
LeeAnnDra Marchese runs the program.
“I’ve been a law enforcement person a long time, and I’ve seen the really bad things that happen during the holiday season for a variety of reasons,” she said. “If I can be a part of something to give back, to make a kid happy, I’ve done my job.”
She said the elves are in the shop, hard at work, assembling hundreds of requests from applicants.
Thousands of toys, clothes, and blankets are prepared for Sacramento County families who have been victims of crimes or house fires, or for single parents who cannot afford gifts for their children.
Being a law enforcement program, background checks are done.
“What makes us very unique to other programs is that you can’t come into this facility and say, ‘Hey, I need free stuff.’ You have to apply. So we verify our applicants, their need, their income, we verify their children,” Marchese said. She said families can’t show up with other people’s children.
They also verify the toy makers, with inmates contributing by crafting wooden toys and refurbishing donated bikes.
“This inmate work facility allows individuals to work off a sentence, with handpicked participants contributing to the project,” Marchese said. “People come to the work project and need to work off a sentence. We handpick people that come here.”
Together, inmates and deputies work to ensure all children receive a gift on Christmas morning.
“It really warms your heart,” Marchese said.
The program quickly fills up as applications open in early November, and the toy project continually seeks donations to support its efforts.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel