JACKSON – The Northampton County chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police portrayed Santa Claus last week when they delivered gifts to elderly nursing home patients.

Jackson Police Chief John Young said the Christmas spirit was alive when members of the FOP Lodge 47 brought gifts for the residents of Hampton Manor assisted living center in Gaston and the J.W. Faison Senior Center near Jackson.

“This was the best day’s work of the year,” said Young. “The people there were so appreciative; it was a good day’s work.”

Northampton County Sheriff Jack Smith said the county’s law enforcement officers want all the residents to know that they were still thought of and cared about.

“It’s rewarding to see the smiles on people’s faces. Our law enforcement officers do a good job of serving the citizens of this county and they do this at times when a great proportion of our citizens are in the comfort of their homes,” Smith stated.

Young agreed, saying that law enforcement officers are in this line of work because they care about the people they serve.

“It’s all about the people,” Young said. “We do everything we do for the people of this county.”

He said that some residents of rest homes feel like nobody ever thinks about them, so the FOP put a priority on them during the Christmas season to let them know they are not forgotten and that people do care about them.

“The FOP and law enforcement partners have been providing this type of service for many years and we plan to continue this and similar types of services for years to come,” Sheriff Smith stressed.

“One of the greatest gifts we can give is to serve those who may be less fortunate than we are.” Smith added. “We need to display this love and desire to serve others each and every day of the year.”

The FOP delivered 64 gift packages to Hampton Manor and 27 to the Faison Center.

Young said the gift packages contained Christmas cards to the residents, personal care items, and little candies.

He they were smiling, happy, and very appreciative of the attention they got from the members of the county’s FOP. “The residents were happy to get their gifts, Young said, “but the genuine love and spirit of Christmas they received from the law enforcement officers was what truly made everyone’s day so bright and wonderful.”

Young said the FOP would continue this kind of community outreach work into the future to make sure all people of Northampton County feel cared for and part of the overall community.