Lake Saint Louis Police Officers Association Holiday Charity Drives

The Lake St. Louis Police Officers Association once again delivered food to less fortunate families this Thanksgiving.

Detective Gary McIntyre of the Lake Saint Louis Police Department told Patch that this year's drive went well. "We were able to purchase and deliver Thanksgiving meals—a whole turkey, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, roasting pan, aluminum foil, and meat thermometer—to six families who were recommended by two local churches as well as the Greentree Elementary Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Pardo. Mrs. Pardo has been extremely helpful with providing the children and their families for us to assist," McIntyre said.

The drive will continue until Dec. 24, with plans to help make a brighter Christmas for some local children.

"We will again be working with Mrs. Pardo at Greentree Elementary to sponsor children for Christmas," McIntyre said. "The children usually create a Christmas list and then we will buy and wrap items off of their list for them." 

The children's names are not released to the LSLPOA, just a list of the gifts requested.

McIntyre asks that donations come in the form of cash, as the organization does not have a storage facility. Donations are tax-deductible.

McIntyre has a very personal reason for spearheading the drive. He knows what it's like to be a child with the prospects of a bleak holiday.

"When I was a child, my mother was raising me and my three sisters by herself and a local church delivered food items to our apartment the night before Thanksgiving. That is something that I will never forget," he said.

"We would also go to Salvation Army Christmas parties where we would each receive gifts. That is why I started this tradition, and hope it grows and lives on for many years."

Donations can be sent to:

Lake St. Louis Police Officers Association
6290 Ronald Reagan Dr. Suite 267
Lake Saint Louis MO 63367

Anyone who makes a donation will receive a thank you letter with the amount on it for tax purposes. Donors as asked to write write "Holiday Drive" on the memo line of the check.

The Lake Saint Louis Police Officers Association thanks everyone who participates and wishes them a happy holiday season.