The Hickory Police Department has started collecting toys and monetary donations for the Cops for Tots “Christmas Wish House”. The program began in the early 1980’s by serving only about twelve families. It has expanded over the years and in 2008 almost 2300 children benefited from the Cops for Tots program.
The location of the Christmas Wish House will be the Winkler Park Activity Center (next to the Hickory Crawdads stadium) on Clement Blvd. The dates will be December 19-21, 2016. The hours of operation are from 9am – 12 noon and 3pm – 6pm each of those days.
Schedule for serving families is as follows:
- City of Hickory (residents can attend on the 19th)
- Catawba County (residents can attend on the 20th)
- Open to anyone meeting the requirements listed below (on the 21st)
You will be required to show proof of Hickory address such as a utility, cable, or phone bill. Also, those families who are serviced by the Christmas Bureau in 2016 or have been serviced by the Wish House for the past three consecutive years will not be eligible to shop at the Christmas Wish House. Hopefully this will allow more children in need to receive toys. A parent or guardian of the child must present a photo ID of themselves along with the birth certificate or Medicaid card for each child. Children from birth to 13 years of age are eligible to receive toys. No social security cards will be accepted. No children are allowed inside.
Collection boxes for new or slightly used toys have been placed at the following locations:
- Lobby of Hickory Police Department;
- Lobby of Hickory City Hall;
- Jenkins, Longview, Oakwood, and Viewmont Elementary Schools;
- Lowes Foods (Belle Hollow and 14th Ave NE locations);
- Carmike Movie Theater;
- Snyder Paper;
- Health Smart Viewmont Pharmacy.
Monetary donations can be mailed to: Cops for Tots, Hickory Police Department, 347 2 nd Ave. SW, Hickory, NC 28602. Make checks payable to “Cops for Tots”. Even with the amount of donated toys, there is always a need to purchase more. 100% of the monetary donations are used to purchase additional toys.
Additional information on requirements for the Cops for Tots program may be obtained by calling 828-261-2691.
