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Mostly Cloudy Santa Claus makes stop in Hewlett
Nassau police host shopping spree for families in need
Four busloads of families with more than 100 children from shelters across Long Island shopped for a few hours at Matty's Toy Store in Hewlett the day before Christmas.
The shopping spree was hosted by Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter, Police Benevolent Association President James Carver and Nassau County Police Department Foundation Chairman Eric Blumencranz.
Several police officer helped shoppers select toys and games from the store's shelves and Santa Claus was in the "house." In addition to the shopping, the kids were able to sit in a couple of police vehicles outside the store.
On Long Island there are more than 8,000 homeless students, and there has been an increase among this population, officials said. According to the most recent U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development survey, there are 1.6 million homeless people nationwide.
