NJSPBA members unload hundreds of stuffed animals, generously donated
by PetSmart.
lugging bags, stacks and racks of toys from the trailer into Pines
Manor. Assembly lines formed on both ends of the FAFS work-
shop, while volunteers scurried to keep up with the mountains
of gifts that were quickly gathering across the center of the floor.
“Guys just keep coming in with bags,” Spadea observed, as he
himself stacked more toys on top of the pile. “Let’s just say we’re
Santa’s helpers.”
As soon as enough of the PBA trailer was unpacked for bodies
to fit inside, Spadea and East Brunswick Local 145 State Delegate
Brian Brownlie worked together to hand off packages and nu-
merous bags of stuffed animals donated by PetSmart.
At the other doorway, more members rolled in bicycles and
balanced large trash bags filled with gifts on their shoulders be-
fore dropping them onto the pile. One of the members carry-
ing as many bags as his arms could possibly hold was Harrison
Township Local 178 State Delegate Chris Cartella.
Each year that Local 178 members set up a toy donation table
outside of Target, they are invigorated by the number of shoppers
who are willing to make an extra purchase to contribute to the
cause.
“It’s encouraging,” Cartella stated. “People like to give, and it’s
definitely evident in the number of toys that were bought that
day.”
Other Locals like Hackettstown 369 were thrilled to see resi-
dents dropping donations off at the police department without
even being asked. The Hackettstown community’s familiarity
with helping the Local gather toys for its holiday party was evi-
dent when headquarters began to fill with gifts in mid-Novem-
ber. This year, the Local decided to switch up its giving program
by hosting a Shop with a Cop event instead, but the gifts kept
coming anyway.
“We didn’t ask for them. People just automatically were pro-
gramed to drop them off this time of year (for the holiday party),”
explained Local 369 State Delegate Thomas Smith, who contrib-
uted six bags of toys to the pile. “Thankfully, we had an abun-
dance of toys through those donations that we were able to bring
here instead.”
Joy to the world
News 12 cameras captured the scene to share this feel-good
story of law enforcement making the wishes of more than 5,000
FAFS children come true. But what may have been news to the
rest of the world who watched the broadcast later that day on TV
was just another day serving the State of New Jersey for the PBA
members who participated.
NJ State PBA President Pat Colligan put it simply in his inter-
view with News 12, saying, “It’s just what we do. It’s what we do
best.”
As for Dudley, the PBA Toy Drive has given Christmas a new
sense of purpose and magic by creating an event that brings the
Somerville Local 147 State Delegate Vittorio Spadea leads the NJSPBA Toy
Drive for the first time, as the NJSPBA Sports and Special Events Committee
chairman.
The Dunellen Local 146 Toy Drive Film Night events brought the commu-
nity together to raise hundreds of toy donations for New Jersey Foster and
Adoptive Family Services.
NJSPBA members, left, form an assembly line to transport gifts into Pines
Manor in Edison. An officer, right, takes time off the job to drop off toys for
children in need.
community together while giving back to a cause that means a lot
to him, considering that his own father and aunt grew up in the
foster system. And while the PBA is consistently awestruck by the
enormous contribution that results from the Dunellen Christmas
film event, Dudley immediately starts planning for the next year
with confidence that Local 369 can do even more to make the
holiday one to remember for each child who needs it most.
“I’m going to do it for as long as I possibly can,” Dudley said.
“Dunellen is a one-square-mile town with 17 [officers]. It just
goes to show that it doesn’t really matter the size of the Local. Ev-
ery one of us is capable of contributing in a big way for whatever
the particular cause is that grabs us.”
www.njcopsmagazine.com
■ DECEMBER 2018 35