– Photo courtesy of DPD
The Delphi Police Department has issued a request for donations from the community for blankets and stuffed animals for the children involved with service calls that the officers respond to nearly every day.
The Delphi Police Department stated that the officers respond to calls for service involving children almost daily, whether the child is a victim, a witness to an incident or present on a traffic stop. Every instance where a child is involved with the call, the officers have made it their mission to present the child with a stuffed animal to help ease the situation and comfort the child.
“This can serve as a distraction for them from the situation at hand and also break the ice with our officers,” the department released.
The department stated that a previous donation of Tommy the Moose stuffed animals proved to be a big hit amongst the children of Carroll County, and the supply has begun to dwindle at the department. According to the department, Danielle Kelly launched a fundraiser for Scentsy stuffies for the officers to distribute, but the supply has begun to dissipate as the officers continue to respond to the calls involving children. Sgt. Colin Deckard was highlighted for his idea to keep blankets in his car as he noticed numerous children in the community that did not have a clean blanket, and all of the blankets have been distributed.
“We have restocked some limited blankets and small stuffed animals, however we would like to build an inventory to have on hand for officers to pull from,” the department released. “We would very much appreciate any new blanket or stuffed animal donations.”
Community members may donate items at the Delphi City Building during normal business hours or contact the department for pick-up options. Community members may contact Chief Nate LaMar at chief@cityofdelphi.org, Sgt. Deckard at 132@cityofdelphi.org or Sgt. Alex Parkinson at 127@cityofdelphi.org to arrange the pick-up.