ABOVE VIDEO:Law Enforcement Officers from throughout Brevard County walk miles to gather toys for kids at Christmas.
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Law Enforcement Officers from throughout Brevard County walked miles to gather toys for kids at Christmas.
Despite near 90-degree heat in Central Florida, the Christmas spirit was alive and well throughout Brevard County on Friday.
Law enforcement officers from six different agencies hit the streets early for Operation “Reverse Christmas Parade” which began in Titusville and ended in West Melbourne. It was a mission to collect toys for local children for Christmas.
Participating agencies will distribute the toys during the days leading up to Christmas.
Cpl. Dave Jacobs
“We’ve seen overwhelming support from the community and it’s just really fantastic,” said Brevard County Sheriff’s Corporal David Jacobs.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey along with Cocoa Police Chief Mike Cantaloupe, Cocoa Beach Police Chief Arthur “Bud” Ayres, Rockledge Police Chief Joseph LaSata, and West Melbourne Police Chief Richard Wiley along with a caravan of deputies and officers from each agency walked and drove police vehicles to each jurisdiction where waiting supports greeted them with new and unwrapped gifts for children of all ages.
“Every kid deserves to have some kind of toy at Christmas time,” said Kat Davis who represents the Historic Cocoa Village Association.
“This is an amazing event, it’s very exciting and we all like to do things for the kids. We are really unified here in Cocoa Village and we are so glad you [law enforcement officers] are here doing this.”
The “Reverse Christmas Parade” was an idea that came about from law enforcement in response to the cancellation of the annual motorcycle toy run which historically provided much of the toys for each year’s distribution. There law enforcement officers are discussing the possibility of doing another Reverse Christmas Parade during the next several weeks.
Michael Cantaloupe
“Everything we are doing today with all the local law enforcement agencies is about the children,” Cocoa Police Chief Mike Cantaloupe said.
“We love doing this type of thing because at the end of the day hundreds of children will have a smile on their face and even if it’s just for a moment, it is all well worth the effort.”
Law Enforcement Officers from throughout Brevard County walk miles to gather toys for kids at Christmas.
