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NEW JERSEY COPS ■ FEBRUARY 2014
Nutley’s Operation Kris Kringle
In 2003, past Nutley Local 33 President Michael O’Halloran,
past Delegate Greg Damurijan and Local member Bobby
McDermott decided to begin a tradition that has since grown
into something wonderful.
Every year right after Thanksgiving, these three men get
together and start collecting toys from PBA members, family
members, residents and local businesses inside the Township
of Nutley. Every year, these toys are collected and donated to
local churches or shelters for them to distribute as they saw fit.
As the years went on, McDermott was able to recruit other
PBA members to get involved with the toy drive. In 2011,
McDermott, now the sergeant-at-arms of the Local, wanted to
make the Local toy drive change the way less fortunate families viewed Christmas. He decided that he wanted to bring the
Christmas spirit to the Isaiah House in East Orange.
The Isaiah House is dedicated to those families who are
considered "most fragile" – those who have been devastated
by unemployment, illness, drug addiction, teenage pregnancy, fires and other crises. The Isaiah House also shelters young
single mothers who are struggling financially and assists in
getting these families the help they need.
For the last three years, the Nutley Local along with Nutley
Dunkin Donuts, and of course with the help of Santa Claus,
have been able to provide Christmas dinner and presents to
the children who were being housed at the Isaiah House. This
is a tradition that is going to continue to grow year by year and
shows how three men can inspire an entire Local to exemplify the true meaning of Christmas.
“It was like a feeling that I never could imagine,” recalled
McDermott of this year’s Operation Kris Kringle. “One of the
boys actually ran up to me and hugged me as we were getting
ready to leave and said ‘Thank you sir, for making Christmas
feel like Christmas again.’ This is why I loving doing the job that
I do. It’s not only about getting the bad guy, it’s about giving
back to those who need it.” d
PHOTOS BY JOHN MECKA