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Rincon police in giving spirit
Officers collecting gifts for holiday distribution
Rincon Roundup

RINCON — The Rincon Police Department will distribute more than citations and safety tips during the holiday season. It is accepting donations of toys and other items that it will give to needy families for Christmas.

A drop box has been set up in its headquarters at 107 W. 17th St.

“It’s called the Rincon Roundup,” said Cpl. Mitchell Adderton, who is heading up the project. “You may have seen a couple of us around wearing cowboy hats. What we’re doing is collecting new toys, new clothes, nonperishable food items and household items like deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes and stuff like that.

“Everything has to be new. We don’t want any used stuff because we don’t want people to bring stuff here as a way to get rid of it.”

Roundup collections will continue through Dec. 10.

“We will get with the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Division of Family and Children — I’ve already spoken to both elementary schools in Rincon — and Effingham County Victim-Witness Assistance Program,” Adderton said. “We are going to find families in the county that we can give this stuff. We are collecting until Dec. 10 because that gives me the week after to get everything organized and get the items out to families.”

Adderton also indicated that Family Connection will likely aid in locating people in need.

“This is the first year that we have done this,” he said. 

The idea emerged from a conversation about the possibility of Rincon officers wearing cowboy hats as part of their uniform.

“It spun into (the roundup) is a way to do something good amid the pandemic, inflation and everything in general — people facing hard times,” Adderton said. “This is a way we can help.”