Staff report
CHINA GROVE ó It may have looked like a roundup of bad guys Saturday morning when patrol cars arrived en masse at three restaurants on U.S. 29.
Instead of a license check or drug roundup, the China Grove Police Department focused on keeping the Grinch at bay by collecting toys and money.
All the blue lights, patrol cars and law enforcement officers carried out “Stop the Grinch from Stealing Christmas.”
On a raw, cold morning, They set up shop in the parking lots of Gary’s Barbecue, Jimmy’s Restaurant and the Subway along U.S. 29 collecting toys and asking for donations.
Santa Claus showed up to pose for photos with youngsters and pass out candy canes.
Residents started showing up with unwrapped toys.
And those who didn’t know of the toy drive pulled out their wallets and checkbooks.
In a matter of a few hours, officers collected more than 800 toys and more than $500 in cash.
The toy drive was the idea of officers Nina Stillwell and Jeff Alley, who dubbed it “Stop the Grinch from Stealing Christmas.”
Stillwell and Alley called the drive a huge success and thanked fellow officers and the community for their assistance.
Everything collected will be delivered to an area school to be distributed to families during the holiday season.