The common sight of a guy in a red suit and a sleigh was replaced Dec. 1 by red and blue flashing lights and men with badges outside Walmart as the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department filled their squad vehicles with a variety of toys to be distributed to girls and boys in need.
This is the fourth year the sheriff’s department has collected toys outside the store to benefit the Shawano Toys for Tots program. For several frigid hours, deputies and higher-ups eagerly received toys purchased by shoppers, ranging from Paw Patrol to Bluey to board games to bicycles and more, with the shoppers receiving candy canes and reindeer horn headbands for their benevolence.
However, many opted to give cash to the sheriff’s department, which gave some of the deputies a chance to slip inside the warm Walmart toy section and pick out toys themselves to donate to the cause. According to Lt. Chris Madle, public information officer, more than $2,000 in cash alone was given in the five-hour period the sheriff’s crew was hanging around Walmart.
“We’ve had a very good turnout from the community so far,” Madle said. “It’s great to see the outpouring of the community, even though it’s only 15 degrees outside. We’re small enough that the community comes together immensely, and it’s really cool to see.”
While the sheriff’s department has helped Toys for Tots for many years with its donation boxes at its office, the move to expand its efforts started with a friendly challenge between the sheriff’s office and the Shawano County Courthouse that quickly turned a different direction, according to Madle.
“The courthouse challenged us that they could collect more toys than the sheriff’s office could,” he said. “At the time, they called me a cheater, but I thought we’d just park our squads in front of Walmart and use our red and blue flashing lights and attract some attention. They said we were cheating; I said we were using our resources. Since then, it became kind of an annual event for us to come down and do this.”
The donation boxes are still there and will be accepting toys until the toy distribution held Dec. 11-13.
Madle admitted there was an ulterior motive to urging cash donations beyond giving the deputies a chance to shop. He said the crew was able to find things for babies, toddlers, children on up to teenagers.
“It’s nice buying for the kids, but it’s also a nice opportunity to warm up,” Madle said. “It’s fun to go in there and pick out toys for kids in our area who might not be as fortunate this Christmas season.”
According to the local Toys for Tots website, more than 20,200 toys will be distributed to benefit more than 4,300 children in Shawano County.
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
