Above: Students from Our Lady of Mercy School with EGPD officers and the boxes of toys collected by the school.

Some of the toys have stay in East Greenwich, the rest went to other RI children in need

There’s nothing like teamwork to bring in a lot of toys from all over East Greenwich for children in need. EG Police Local 472 ran a Toys for Tots collection drive for the first time last year and it went well. But this year’s drive was on a whole new level, with several groups running their own mini toy drives in addition to many individuals who donated to the police drive directly.

EGPD Sergeant Dave Petrucci, who heads IBPO Local 472, said they had collected around 40 boxes of toys, approximately 700 toys. The Marines run Toys for Tots, but before the Marines collected the donations, first the East Greenwich Housing Authority was invited to pick out toys for local children. 

“EG Housing was able to get everything that they needed for the children that live on EG this year,” he said. “Dozens and dozens of EG residents and Police officers of EGPD donated daily from the start of the toy drive.”

Along with the individuals who brought toys into the EGPD, here are the organizations who contributed:

• AMP Training Center
• Cub Scouts EG Pack 3
• Students/staff of Our Lady of Mercy School
• Residents and staff of Anchor Bay Nursing Home
• Students/Staff/Parents of Meadowbrook Elementary
• Mastery Martial arts 
• East Greenwich Republican Town Committee*

* EG News did not have EG GOP listed here originally – apologies for the omission.

Police arrive at Meadowbrook Farms Elementary to collect the toys they’ve collected.

Residents and staff from Anchor Bay at Greenwich drop their donations at the police station.

AMP staff hand donations off to EG police officers.

EG Housing employees collect toys for families in East Greenwich.

EGPD’s Matt Cordle (left) and Andrew Bean (right) with Michael Pezillo from Mastery Martial Arts, which donated 7 boxes full of toys.

Transferring toy donations from EGPD to the Marines.