Anonymous donors give $50,000 for local officers to be #904SecretSanta

By NewsLine Staff

St. Johns County Sheriff’s deputies played Santa on Dec. 17, surprising 100 citizens with gift cards that were provided by two anonymous donors. Each of the recipients tapped by a law enforcement officer was given a $100 pre-approved gift card for their use. Law enforcement officers in Duval and Clay counties also took part in the Secret Santa program.

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The anonymous donors wanted to give the men and women who keep the community safe the opportunity to spread some joy in this holiday season. The donors approached The Community Foundation through their professional advisor and a donor advised fund was established to carry out their wishes.

The Community Foundation worked with the donors, TD Bank, and the sheriff’s offices to transform the $50,000 gift into a total of 500 gift cards for distribution by the three counties. The TD Charitable Foundation supplied the TD Visa gift cards to The Community Foundation with no fee.

Area officers and deputies began their “Secret Santa” duties with these instructions: “Based on your experience in the community or with someone you may encounter today, you are asked to distribute these cards to individuals who you feel may benefit from a gift like this at this time of year.”

Photo courtesy St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office 

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