One child on the receiving end of the joy was 4-year-old Chloe, whose wish list included a big teddy bear, a Barbie doll, princess stuff, ballerina shoes, a fishing game, hand puppets and night lights.
"I hid the presents until Christmas morning," said Dorena Coon, Chloe's grandmother and sole caregiver. "All she said was, 'Oh my goodness. Thank you, Santa' again and again. She wouldn't have received this much if not for the police officers' delivery."
"My favorite was the Barbie Princess," shrieked Chloe.
The APD has been delivering gifts to its adopted families for 10 years now. "We're just announcing this to the community and the people are just so happy to help," said Sgt. Mitch Schwitters.
"The APD is always glad to take this opportunity to do something positive instead of being called in when something bad happens. "Children don't always see us in a positive light. This is kinda special because we see a lot of kids raising themselves and this is a neat way for them (to be kids for the season)."
"We do this so we can give back to the community," CAT Team Officer Cliff Rezentes said. "There has been this incredible generosity from the community and our donors, like city employees, Wal-Mart, Macy's employees and Costco - and Golden State Container gave the boxes."
Other donors include the accounting firm of Temen, Kaiser and Cameron, CPA; Drs. Robert Sheffield and Gerald Jeffry; Antioch Credit Union; and the APD Lobby.
Visiting from Merced were Jeff and Georgette Wynn. "My father is with the VIPS (Volunteer in Police Service) and we thought it would be a nice thing to do," said Jeff. "I grew up in Antioch."
If success is measured by giving back to your community and making a positive impact on the lives of others, the members of the APD CAT Team have made extremely successful career choices.
For information on helping out with future toy drives or for nominating recipient families, call the APD CAT Team office at 779-6946.
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