NYPD Santas deliver free toys to city kids in need
Officers join with charity partners to distribute thousands of gifts across New York City in the department’s annual holiday toy drive.
New York City — Scores of NYPD officers delivered thousands of toys to city kids in need on Saturday as part of the department’s annual toy drive. The effort is backed by donations from the First Responders Children’s Foundation, the NYPD Police Foundation and Toys for Tots, with Jillian Crane, president and CEO of the foundation, noting that the program has grown into a citywide effort. NYPD Assistant Commissioner Alden Foster described it as "our annual city-wide sleigh ride that we do every year," adding that the department works with community-based organizations to identify families who are really in need of a gift for the holidays. The day’s events spanned several locations in the Bronx and Manhattan, with dozens of officers distributing gifts from stations set up in schools and community centers while costumed officers—spanning superheroes to Disney characters—dropped in to greet youngsters.
Thousands of donated toys were gathered in a makeshift warehouse at John F. Kennedy International Airport before being loaded onto flatbed trucks that the NYPD typically uses to transport parade barriers. The trucks rolled from one community location to the next, their arrival signaled by holiday music blaring from loudspeakers. One stop was St. Joseph’s School for the Deaf in the Bronx, where families lined up to receive gifts.
Organizers described the effort as a coordinated “sleigh ride” carried out by the NYPD’s Community Affairs Bureau. Jillian Crane said the faces of children as the motorcade arrived were both joyful and transformative, with many smiles and tears of happiness. "The faces on these children as we drive up with the motorcade, they just look so happy, big smiles," Crane said, adding, "It’s just magic. We want to deliver the trust." The foundation, which partners with the NYPD for the event, provided about 15,000 toys in its sixth year of collaboration, Crane noted, and the group sponsors nearly 200 similar events nationwide at the same time.
Crane said the drive is part of a broader nationwide effort that complements the police foundation’s work with the NYPD. The toy drive is in its sixth year of partnership with the department, and the foundation’s total toy contribution for this event stands at roughly 15,000 toys, Crane said. The sleigh ride was carried out by the NYPD’s Community Affairs Bureau using flatbed trucks that usually transport traffic barriers to parades. The motorcade visited multiple neighborhoods across the five boroughs, signaling the return of a holiday tradition that aims to bring joy and foster trust between the police and city families.
The toy drive will continue at pre-selected locations in all five boroughs through Monday, with officials emphasizing that the gifts help families facing economic hardship during the holidays. Crane highlighted the scale of the effort: while the NYPD and its partners coordinate the distribution, nearly 200 related events take place nationwide in parallel. The program’s reach underscores a broader goal of building community trust and providing children with a sense of holiday cheer in a year marked by economic and social stress.
Experts and community leaders say the collaboration between law enforcement, charitable groups and local schools reflects a holistic approach to holiday outreach. For many families, the toy drive provides a pivotal moment of relief and joy at a time when resources are stretched thin. The NYPD notes that the distribution sites were selected in partnership with community groups to ensure gifts reach children most in need, reinforcing a message of shared responsibility and hope during the season.