By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — The Springfield Police Department and the River Street Dollar General are currently collecting donations of new, unwrapped toys for a toy drive that will benefit homeless families assisted by the Springfield Supported Housing Program.
The drive is being organized by Officer Adam Woodell, who is fairly new to the department but has already witnessed just how much their community helps one another, especially during the holidays.
Woodell explained that the Dollar General started a toy drive on their own with a bin out in their store to drop off gifts. Some would bring gifts in and others would shop the store and simply donate them. Woodell said the department then put in the paperwork to make it official to partner with the store, joining forces to help ensure that children in the community get a gift this holiday season.
“These can be new, unwrapped gifts for kids of any age,” Woodell said. “We will be distributing them to the shelter units of the Springfield Supported Housing Program, which we partnered with to collect and disperse. These people who are already in the shelter are already kind of down on their luck to begin with, so this gives them a little extra help around the holidays.”
This is the first year the toy drive is directly involving the Springfield Supported Housing Program, and Operations Director Tara Chase is excited that the families they serve will be able to give their children a toy this year.
The program has been around for 18 years, and as an agency they help support individuals who are “literally homeless or are housing insecure.” They currently have 27 shelter units between southern Windsor and northern Windsor County, and they also work with the motels through a program with Economic Services of the Department for Children and Families. There are people who have been displaced from the Springfield area, so they have been forced to go to motels outside of town. Case managers go to the motels and they will be able to report back about what families are in need.
“It is one family per shelter unit, and we support those families,” Chase explained. “So when it comes to this time of year, it is really hard to not have the income or ability to provide for your family at the same rate as others.”
She said there can be the social pressure of keeping up with the Joneses, and their families feel that, too.
“They want to be able to give to their kids and have a typical holiday,” Chase said. “What we really try to do is partner with different agencies around the area to meet those needs, so families can still make their payments while also having a couple presents.”
Chase said they also partner with the Santa Claus Club, Precision Valley for a voucher program for presents, and the Springfield Family Center to make sure their families have holiday meals.
“So not only are we trying to make sure we have presents for the children but also make sure there’s a nice holiday meal that goes along with it,” Chase said.
She said when Officer Woodell came to her and asked if they would like to be involved in the drive, the answer was a no brainer. On an average there are 40 to 60 different households that come through the program on a monthly basis, and she told Woodell she absolutely knew she could find families who will appreciate this extra support.
“It is nice to know that we’ll have some families who are going to have a little bit more than what they normally would have, if anything,” Chase said.
Woodell said they will also be communicating with the schools in the area to identify families in need.
Woodell sees the importance of law enforcement getting involved in the community, to interact with children outside of an enforcement action.
“Most of the time that is when they would be seeing us, and those aren’t the happiest times in the world,” he said. “To be able to connect other than that is much easier for the children. Just about every morning we assign an officer to the schools to greet the kids and say hello to start the day. It is a continuing of our community interaction programs.”
Chase agreed with Woodell, saying that she feels that it is beneficial for the community when the police are involved in these types of positive interactions.
“Then children can know that this is a safe community, and the police officers are here to help support their community members and not just catching people doing something bad all the time,” Chase said. “I love our Springfield department and love that our chief is so social minded, and when one of his new staff members asks to do this, he says ‘run with it.’”
Woodell formerly worked for the Chester Police Department and said he partnered with the Chester Dollar General for a toy collection in the past. Coincidentally, the point of contact was Manager Dee Gosetti, who is now organizing the drive at the Springfield location. They have been collecting toys since just after Thanksgiving, and Officer Woodell has been pleased with how the drive is going but said the more gifts the merrier.
Donations can be dropped off in the box at the Springfield Dollar General at 237 River Street, or in the Springfield Police Department lobby at 201 Clinton Street. Donations can be accepted seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
