A handful of kids now have warm boots going into the winter, thanks to the Saint John Police Force.
Officers held a boot drive in December and collected 14 pairs, some brand new with tags.
Spokesperson Jim Hennessy says they put the call out for donations of gently used or new boots just a couple of weeks before Christmas.
“It was kind of a last-minute thing we threw together,” he said.
Despite the closeness to the holidays, Hennessy says he was surprised by the result.
“We filled up the boot bin pretty quick,” he said.
“We know that during this time of year it’s always tough to try to make the dollar stretch a little easier. Winter has finally arrived and now it’s going to be a lot easier for those kids to keep their feet dry and keep them warm as well.”
Thank you again to all those who contributed to our "Boot Drive" in recent weeks. 14 pairs collected and are keeping young children's feet warm and dry this winter season! pic.twitter.com/6QN0qejp8O
— Saint John Police (@saintjohnpolice) January 6, 2020
He says they ended up with exactly what they asked for.
“We were looking for gently used or new boots between sizes 5 and 10 and that’s exactly what we got. When you put out that call for that varying range of boots, you think maybe you’ll get all size 8’s or all size 7’s, but we were very lucky… we did get a good range,” he said.
Hennessy says the boots were given to kids in need in the city.
“When the call went out that (the schools) were collecting goods overall, we just thought that boots would be a good item to add to that list,” he said.
Hennessy says he hopes the police force will hold more drives like this one throughout the year, as a way to give back to the community.
