Walton County Sheriff's Santa Patrol Toy Drive Is Back
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office’s Santa Patrol toy drive is back, asking residents to help put gifts under the trees of Walton County children in need — Freeport’s families among them. New, unwrapped presents for children up to age 17 can be dropped off at the sheriff’s offices in DeFuniak Springs and Santa Rosa Beach or at any Walton County Fire Rescue station.
The sheriff’s office announced the program’s return Thursday afternoon, joking that Thanksgiving hasn’t even arrived yet but saying it is “getting a head start on Christmas” and needs the community’s help “making sure Walton County kids have something under the tree this year.”
Santa Patrol has run since the 1970s, when the sheriff’s office began collecting toys, clothing, school supplies and more for children in families facing difficult times. The program still works the same way: families are identified by the School Resource Deputies who serve Walton County’s schools, gifts are hand-selected for them, and members of the sheriff’s office staff deliver the presents personally. The collection window opens each November and December.
Donations can be mailed or dropped off at the Walton County Sheriff’s Office at 10 Sheriff Circle in DeFuniak Springs, at the South Walton Substation at 133 Sheriff Drive in Santa Rosa Beach, or at any Walton County Fire Rescue station — the county fire agency whose crews also serve Freeport. Checks payable to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office with “Santa Patrol” noted in the memo line are accepted, and monetary contributions can be made online through the sheriff’s office’s PayPal page.
Teenagers are the drive’s hardest group to shop for, the sheriff’s office notes: younger children draw most of the donations, but families with teens are served too, and a monetary gift is the suggested alternative for anyone unsure what to buy. Residents with questions can reach the program at [email protected].
Originally reported by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. Image: Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
