‘Anything is welcome’: WPD collecting gifts for kids in domestic violence shelters
The Wichita Police Department is collecting new, unwrapped clothes, toys, blankets and gift cards to help give children living in the city’s domestic violence shelters a merrier Christmas.
You can drop off items in person from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday at 5803 W. Central, just west of the Patrol West substation. After Wednesday, email Officer Lori Kimrey at lkimrey@wichita.gov to arrange a pick-up time through Dec. 17.
“If you can just pull in, officers will come out (and) collect whatever gifts you have to donate,” community policing Officer Roddy Winder said about Wednesday’s toy collection drive.
Donations are needed for dozens of children ranging in age from infancy to 17.
Gift cards are especially helpful for fulfilling the children’s wish lists, Winder said.
“The parents love the fact that we’re gathering these things and giving them to these kids that ordinarily might not even get a single gift. And we’re providing them with several things that they can enjoy throughout the year,” he said.
“Anything is welcome.”
The toy drive is an annual event put on by officers at Patrol West. It started five or six years ago, WPD spokesman Officer Charley Davidson said.
After collecting items, officers will gift wrap some of them and drop others off at the shelters to be wrapped on site. They’ll also help with distribution, Winder said.
“Usually in years past we tend to get 3-4 small gifts per kid and we usually have about 200 kids,” Kimrey said by email.
Domestic violence has been growing problem in Wichita since the pandemic hit Kansas earlier this year. The most physically violent cases, felony aggravated assaults and batteries, are up 16% year to date compared with the same time period in 2019, Davidson said. Misdemeanor domestic violence reports are up 4%.
Because domestic violence is typically underreported by those affected, actual rates are likely higher.
If you or someone you know is experiencing intimate partner or household member abuse, you can seek help by calling:
- 911
- the Harbor House Domestic Violence Shelter at 316-263-6000
- the Wichita Family Crisis Center at 316-267-7233
- the Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center at 316-263-3002
- StepStone at 316-265-1611
- the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233
This story was originally published December 8, 2020 at 4:15 PM.
