On December 7, Ogden Police Chief Mears loaded his SUV full of new toys and clothing to bring over to the Willow Domestic Violence Center in Rochester.
The Ogden Police Department participates in the annual Willow Domestic Violence Purple Box Campaign. Interested police agencies in the area can take up a collection of new clothing and toys throughout November to be donated to the Willow Domestic Violence Center.
Items are donated by officers, town employees and the local community and go towards helping the families displaced by domestic violence during the holiday season.
This is Mears’ second holiday season as Chief of Police heading up this initiative. Mears was absolutely overwhelmed by the response this year. According to Mears, the amount collected by the community was three times more this year than last year. Not only did the donated items fill the purple tote but also the remaining items filled Mears’ entire SUV full of gifts. “It was so moving to see the generosity from our community,” said Mears.
On December 7, the truck full of donations was delivered to the drop off site for the Willow Domestic Violence Center.
Willow Domestic Violence Center offers a range of emergency and non-emergency support services for victims of domestic violence. The services are free and completely confidential. For more information on the Willow Domestic Violence Center, visit https://willowcenterny.org/.
