Behind the Badge
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
Unless you’re a family living in poverty.
Those families were the focus of the Anaheim Police Department’s 10th annual Cops4Kids toy delivery campaign.
Police officers and other department personnel, along with their families, spent Dec. 19 delivering wrapped gifts and holiday meals to 150 of Anaheim’s neediest households.
In the above video, Tiffany Ogle and her children — Wolf, 8, Lion, 6 and Brooklyn, 3 — receive gifts from Anaheim PD Lt. James Rodriguez, Sgt. Jeff Mundy and Jennifer Vargas.
“A wealthy county like this … people just don’t realize the poverty that exists right under their noses,” said Acting Chief Julian Harvey, who made the rounds hand-delivering bags of gifts to families.
Greyson Mazzeo, 5, son of Anaheim PD crime analyst Eva Mazzeo, hand-delivers gifts to a family as part of Anaheim PD’s Cops4Kids Christmas toy delivery, which provides presents and food to needy families during the holidays. Lou Ponsi/Behind the Badge OC
The Anaheim Police Department identifies the families most in need through collaboration with the school district and local nonprofits.
Some families are living in motel rooms. In some cases, multiple families are living in a single dwelling.
Many of the toys and food items are donated, and some are purchased by Cops4Kids, Harvey said.
Anaheim PD cadet Kristina Marusic, left, helps load gifts and food into an SUV for the department’s Cops4Kids Christmas toy delivery, which provided Christmas presents and food to Anaheim’s neediest families. Lou Ponsi/Behind the Badge OC
Riding along with the acting chief were crime analyst Eva Mazzeo, her husband, Nick, and the couple’s 5-year-old son, Greyson, who personally handed several gifts to his child counterparts.
“It’s a chance for me to give back a little,” Eva Mazzeo said. “And for me, I’ve always wanted to involve Greyson and to show him that it is not always about taking. Sometimes giving can be more rewarding.”
Asked how it felt to be Santa’s helper, Greyson’s response was profound: “Awesome!”
Anaheim PD Acting Chief Julian Harvey hands over a Christmas present during the department’s Cops4Kids Christmas toy delivery on Dec. 19. The program provides Christmas presents and food to Anaheim’s neediest families. Lou Ponsi/Behind the Badge OC
Anaheim PD Acting Chief Julian Harvey listens to a little girl whose family received Christmas gifts that were supplied by the department’s Cops4Kids Christmas toy delivery program. Lou Ponsi/Behind the Badge OC
A bag of presents is ready to be delivered to a needy family as part of Anaheim PD’s Cops4Kids Christmas toy delivery, which provides presents and food to needy families during the holidays. Lou Ponsi/Behind the Badge OC
Eva Mazzeo, left, an Anaheim PD crime analyst, and her son, Greyson, 5, volunteered to deliver Christmas presents and food to the city’s needy families as part of the department’s Cops4Kids Christmas toy drive. Lou Ponsi/Behind the Badge OC
The hands on the left are those of Anaheim PD Acting Chief Julian Harvey, who is handing a Christmas gift to a child during the department’s Cops4Kids Christmas toy delivery on Dec. 19. Lou Ponsi/Behind the Badge OC
Eva Mazzeo, a crime analyst with the Anaheim PD, hands out Christmas presents as part of the department’s Cops4Kids Christmas toy drive. Lou Ponsi/Behind the Badge OC
Anaheim PD Acting Chief Julian Harvey chats with a girl whose family received Christmas gifts that were supplied through the department’s Cops4Kids Christmas toy delivery drive. Lou Ponsi/Behind the Badge OC
