Police give away $20K in toys

The Freeport Police Benevolent Association parking lot was filled with parents by 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday. At 11 a.m. they were given large bagfuls of Christmas presents for their children. Roughly 20 PBA volunteers, referred as “elves,” had compiled children’s wish lists and provided parents with enough gifts for the kids in their households.

For the last 26 years, the Freeport Police Department, led by Detective Patrick Franzone, event organizer Erin Urbanski, a retired Freeport police officer, and the PBA have distributed toys to Freeport children.

Franzone started the event, Toys for Freeport Tots, in 1993 to help bring a little holiday cheer to children. Initially, the Police Department helped the U.S. Marine Corps with its Toys for Tots efforts, but Franzone said he realized he needed to help the children in Freeport more.

“We have to take care of our own children,” Franzone said. But he still supports the Marine Corps’ drive, too. “If we were to run low on toys and they had more available,” he said, “they would deliver more toys to us, too.”

Over the years, the event has grown from helping a handful of children to this year, when more than 700 children received gifts. “During the holiday season, we’re blessed to be able to give local less-fortunate children gifts to light up the holidays,” Urbanski said.

More than $20,000 worth of dolls, superhero figures, basketballs and board games were given out by the PBA’s elves. The toys are unwrapped, to allow parents the option of wrapping the presents themselves.

“In this world, there are angels that walk around without wings,” Nina Sasso, a social worker at Caroline G. Atkinson Intermediate School, said as the PBA handed out toys.

Liz Biscotti, a social worker at Archer Street School, said that parents appreciate the PBA’s work during the holidays. “We really try to help a variety of families that can use the extra help,” she said.

Freeporter Waly Paulino said the donated toys were important to his family. “We received these gifts for our children with so much love and appreciation,” Paulino said in his native Spanish. “Thank you to the Police Department for their willingness to help us.”

The effort, according to Franzone, has become year-round and has continued to steadily grow and spread holiday cheer throughout the community. In 2009, when Franzone’s special-needs son, Kyle, died, he started hosting Kyle Fest, a July rock ’n’ roll barbecue to celebrate his late son and help raise money to buy toys for the holiday giveaway.

This year, the Freeport Chamber of Commerce, in support of the toy drive, held a fundraiser and toy drive at the Freeport Yacht Club on Dec. 8. By press time on Wednesday morning and in the middle of the toy distribution, Franzone and volunteers were still expecting more toys to come in. Matty’s Toy Shop in Hewlett delivered a load.