The Los Rios Police Department is getting into the holiday spirit by teaming up with the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services to help our local community in the Spirit of Giving Drive.

Food and clothing donations will be accepted until Jan. 31.

If any student wants to donate nonperishable foods and new or slightly used clothing to families in need, the donation bin is located on the second floor of the Cosumnes River College Library.

In addition to helping the local community, the LRPD has also teamed up with the Salvation Army in the Angel Tree Program, a program dedicated to giving underprivileged children Christmas presents.

Starting on Nov. 14, students and staff were able to  pick up a gift tag from the Angel Trees located on the first floor of the Library building. Participants are to return their unwrapped present with the tag to the Police Office by Dec. 10.

“This is the first year the Los Rios Police Department has teamed up with the Sacramento Food Bank to put on the Spirit of Giving Drive. As a department we are constantly looking for ways to be more involved in our community,” said Command Support Officer Alysia Krewson via an email interview.

“The Los Rios community colleges have such a large district; I thought it would be perfect to begin doing drives and getting the department involved in other non-profit organizations since we are so spread out and can reach mass amounts of people,” Krewson said.

Some students said they believe that the LRPD joining these organizations is a great thing for our community.

“The police are people, and people do charity work,” said Mike Cuddy, a 22-year-old computer science major. “Charity work isn’t just for the community benefit, it’s also a personal gain.”

Oscar Ramirez, a 20-year-old graphic design major, said he agrees with Cuddy and believes that the impact of the police doing this drive is a great way to show the community that they care.

“It’s good to see the police doing something else to help our community than just protecting it,” Ramirez said.

With the holidays just around the corner, people are constantly trying to find ways to give back and help raise the spirits of those in need.

“The importance of this drive is to realize that the community as whole is responsible for building itself back up. Many of us live normal lives with jobs, family, a roof over our head and food on the table. Unfortunately, not everyone lives this way,” Krewson said. “The holiday time is a time for remembering what we do have and that we are capable of making a difference in the lives of those who may not have dinner on the table every night or a clean pair of clothes to put on the next day.”