NJ Cops Dec17 | Page 26

SANTA’S PBA WORKSHOP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 The NJ State PBA Toy Drive received a donation of 800 stuffed animals from PetSmart store. Harrison Township Local 178 President Michael Flannery and State Delegate Chris Cartella drop off a towering donation from the Local’s Target Toy Drive. what they did.” Just as Dunellen unpacked the final toy from its trailer, an- other pair of undercover Kringles arrived in the doorway armed with jumbo Hefty garbage bags stuffed with gifts slung over their shoulders. Harrison Township Local 178 President Michael Flannery and State Delegate Chris Cartella stopped in the workshop doorway when they saw the mass of colorful toys that was already over- flowing the tables and filling the floor space. Noticing their hands were full of bags, FAFS staff hurried to clear space for the Local 178 donation that seemed to have no end, as members made multiple trips from their trucks to unload 14 giant bags. “We really didn’t expect it to be this much,” stressed Flannery. “(Our Local) organized a toy drive and we just got overwhelmed with toys.” Local 178 has always contributed to the PBA Toy Drive, but never to this extent. In preparation for the gift drop, Local 178 partnered with Target to have community members clear the store’s shelves while shopping for their loved ones and a good cause. On Dec. 2, a group of Local 178 members set up tables in front of the store and handed out flyers in hopes that shoppers would purchase gifts for donation to kids who spend the holidays without their families. “It was constant from 8 a.m. to noon,” Flannery confirmed. “We didn’t even have enough trucks to transport (all of the toys).” The efforts of Local 178 and the generosity of civilian shop- pers made the Target toy drive such a success that it had to be cut short once all of the officers’ trucks reached Christmas capacity. “We were putting the gifts in bags and packing them in the trucks,” Cartella explained. “We’d turn around and the tables would be filled up again.” Supplying a very Merry Christmas In a Target store further north, Verona Local 72 member Alyssa Kirby did some toy shopping of her own. Safely strapped into the shopping cart were two Santa helpers, who connected Kirby to the PBA Toy Drive in benefit FAFS more this year than ever before. “Last year, my sister applied to be a foster parent,” Kirby shared. “She ended up keeping a brother and sister together. I want to give back to where they come from and what they didn’t have.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 28 26 Dunellen Local 146 hosted a community movie night out to collect toy do- nations. NEW JERSEY COPS ■ DECEMBER 2017