Officer Abendano, Admin. Assistant Mitzi Ochoa, and Sgt. Young.
Christmas time can be a burden on many families in our communities. To help alleviate this burden, and give back to their community, officers from the Hayden Police Department (HPD) and HPD Chief Tamatha Villar made the decision to adopt eight families this Christmas, and help bring some joy to these children.
For the first time in the department’s history, Hayden Police joined officers from across the State of Arizona to participate in the W. Steven Martin Police Toy Drive. On Dec. 22, Chief Villar, some of her officers and Administrative Assistant Mitzi Ochoa shopped for toys for more than 20 Hayden-Winkelman children to help bring some Christmas cheer and develop better relationships with the community they serve.
“We are so thankful to have the opportunity to serve our community in this manner and to continue to work to foster meaningful interactions and relationships with the children and families of the Hayden and Winkelman communities,” said Chief Villar. “Giving back to the community is the greatest part of public service.”
Villar continued, “We hope the generosity of our officers went a long way to help those families enjoy the holiday season just a little more.”