The West Penn Police Department and the Dollar General in Snyders have teamed up to put together a local toy drive.

“Myself and the corporal are now running with it,” said West Penn Police Chief Brian Johnson. “It started off really slow, but we finally got the word out. Now we’re actually getting quite a few here and there. Dollar General is backing some of the stuff. Myself and some of the officers are purchasing stuff and trying to get a feel of what the kids are looking for. We want to give them somewhat of a Christmas. These are hard times for everyone.”

This is the first year that the department is doing a toy drive. Johnson said there are roughly 30 local children included right now.

“This is new. We couldn’t do the CSI camp (for the students) because of the pandemic and it doesn’t look promising this year. This is our way of going to the next level. If it works out well, it’s something that we’re going to try to do more ­- especially during Christmastime.”

Johnson said the drive is for anyone who resides in Tamaqua Area School District. Inquiries or donations can be made until Dec. 20.

Before Christmas, the department plans to go door-to-door to deliver the gifts - even with a Santa Claus.

“We also have people donating. If anyone wants to donate, they can contact us and we will make sure the funds get used appropriately where we need to. We need contact information so we can reach out to them, and so we can get an idea of what to buy for someone’s son or daughter.”

For more information, email the department at toys@westpennpd.us.