Local families get surprise visit from GPD.

By Eliza PARTIKA

Christmas came early this year for 26 Glendale families who received gifts from the Glendale Police Dept. (GPD) as part of the department’s annual Cops for Kids event. 

The community room of the Glendale Police Dept. lit up with joy and laughter on Dec. 18 as volunteers convened to deliver gifts to local families. 

For over 30 years the Glendale Police Officers’ Association (GPOA) Cops for Kids program has served hundreds of Glendale families in need. Over 100 volunteer GPD officers and their families along with community volunteers helped shop, wrap and distribute gifts to the families they adopted for the holidays, delivering their trees, gifts and other items in time for Christmas. 

Officers work with educators and school administrators to identify children in need of assistance. Officers will also add names to the gift-giving list if they have interacted with a family they believe would benefit from the program. Volunteers then make home visits to speak with families and identify their needs.

Police Service Officer Amy Tate said for the past three years, GPD has had ongoing services for families in addition to their Christmas giving. Fundraisers contribute to year-round gifts including school supplies and household and hygiene essentials.

This was the first year, Tate said, that every family asked for food, cleaning supplies and hygiene essentials. In response, GPOA funded the purchase of gifts on wish lists while GPD employees and community members donated food and essentials for every family. 

“It’s personal for me because of how much it means to these families,” Tate  said. 

“It’s sad because normally it’s like, ‘Oh, I want some shoes.’ [But] this year we noticed that there were a lot more requests for toilet paper, deodorant, shampoo, laundry detergent – a lot of families asking for essentials,” said Zazil Avila, a GPD police services officer and member of the Cops for Kids committee. 

GPD officers stepped up to help these families succeed, said Rose d’Amato, Community Schools coordinator at Glendale Unified School District. 

“GPD has gone above and beyond this year. I think [they are] such an asset to our community. Not only do they protect us and keep us safe, the fact that they are feeding and offering clothing, cleaning supplies, food and gifts is just outstanding,”d’Amato said. “Glendale PD is filling the gaps and the needs of all of our students to make sure they get to school on time, that they are fed, that they are ready to learn.” 

While Officer Marlene Urquilla conducted interviews with the Soto family to determine their needs, the family mentioned that their refrigerator was broken. Urquilla took it upon herself to ensure it was taken care of; on the day of the gift drop off, a fridge was delivered from Home Depot. 

Carmen Soto cried over the family’s brand new fridge and the gifts that just kept coming through her door. 

“In Mexico, we say, ‘You’re going too far!’ It’s too far! I am very excited. It’s very emotional. Thank you so much. We are very grateful,” she said. 

The volunteers left the family smiling, making their way through the mountain of presents stacked against their tree, which were also delivered by GPD.

“It feels great to be able to help this family,” said “Mike,” one of the Home Depot workers assisting with the fridge delivery and installation. 

“I’m glad we were able to provide what they needed,” added “Victor,” who assisted with the delivery. 

Carolina Leyva and her family spread Christmas cheer to the volunteers by cooking homemade tamales and champurrado. 

“I feel very happy, full of joy and very blessed,” Leyva said about the gifts delivered to her apartment. “This was totally unexpected. And after having such a complicated hard year, GPD has been a big light in our lives.” 

GPD Capt. Steve Corrigan and his family have delivered gifts every year since his children were small. He said he believes acts of service like this are a lesson in the spirit of Christmas and of giving to others. 

“The mission of the Glendale Police Dept. is to protect Glendale, preserve trust and maximize our potential,” Corrigan said. “Events like this are important for establishing and preserving that trust with our community that we built over the years. It’s one of the reasons this is an absolute favorite for everyone.” 

“As a parent, I always felt it was a great way to start out the Christmas season, to be grateful for what [we] have, to help others, to share with others, before focusing on ourselves,” Corrigan added.

“If anyone asks what my favorite Christmas tradition is, it’s this,” said Corrigan’s daughter Allison. “It’s fun to see the excitement on their faces.”