Ocean Springs PD Plays Santa Claus This Year

Some Ocean Springs officers are playing Santa for the second year in a row. Since November, Officer Van Garrard and the Ocean Springs Police Department have been collecting toy donations to deliver to kids in need.

Ten officers swapped their patrol cars for a Santa sleigh and made several stops to deliver gifts to over 50 children. This year, they received an entire room full of toys for kids between the ages of 3 weeks and 15 years. They also received a generous donation of 33 bikes from three local businessmen.

Garrard says, "It means a lot to them. I hope they know that the community cares about them and that they’re not left out and that they have a good Christmas. If you want to see a positive change in the community, it starts with you and we all have the ability to do something positive for someone else."

While this year was even better than last year, Officer Garrard has even higher hopes to deliver more gifts next Christmas.