Community donations help 58 residents

Blue Santa parcels delivered Dec. 17

Estes Park Elementary School students and staff collected 1,500 donation items for the Police Auxiliary s Blue Santa program, benefitting local residents in need.

The Estes Park Police Department Auxiliary, employees and their families delivered Blue Santa donations to 58 elderly, disabled, or shut-in residents in Estes Park on Dec. 17.

"Thanks to the generosity of the community, Blue Santa was a great success again this year," said Police chief Wes Kufeld. "Many of the recipients look forward to this visit all year, and the entire community should be proud of this program."

Through Blue Santa, each individual received two boxes of food and hygiene products, along with gifts such as blankets and holiday decorations. More than $3,000 in cash donations from the community allowed recipients to receive a greeting card with postage stamps and a $35 gift card for Safeway. "Gift cards for groceries allow individuals to purchase items they cannot purchase with food stamps, such as pet food," Chief Kufeld commented.

Estes Park Elementary School students donated 1,500 items, with a Blue Santa campaign organized by staff members Britt Hakonson and Terry Johnson. The preschool/Kindergarten class donated the most items - 335 total. Students also decorated the Blue Santa donation boxes, with Gordon Angelo's second grade class winning a friendly competition for the best design.

In addition to town hall, many local organizations opened their doors to accept Blue Santa donations, making it convenient for people to make donations. These organizations were Animal Medical Center of Estes Park, B & B Food Market, Boulder Valley Credit Union, Country Market, Estes Park Elementary School, Estes Park Medical Center, Estes Valley Library, Estes Park Senior Center, Estes Park Visitor Center, First National Bank, MedX of Estes Park, Rocky Mountain Athletic Club, Rocky Mountain National Park, Elk Valley Auto Parts, Safeway, YMCA of the Rockies and the UPS Store.

For more information on Blue Santa, contact Amanda Nagl, community services manager at the Estes Park Police Department, at (970) 577-3822 or anagl@estes.org. To receive town news in your email inbox, please email townadmin@estes.org.

Source: http://www.eptrail.com/ci_19594172?source=rss_viewed

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