Lisa Lindley, a member of the Marion Board of Aldermen, presents Roy Rushing with a fruit basket at Beehive Homes. 

    MARION – The Marion Police Department played Santa all week, putting smiles on the faces of young and old alike, and Christmas Eve was no exception.

    Several officers, along with some of Santa’s helpers, started the day by delivering fruit baskets to residents of Beehive Homes in Marion.

    Terry Pankhurst led the group in a sing-a-long of Christmas carols, which brightened Roy Rushing’s day.

    “I really enjoyed the singing and seeing all the people today,” he said. “It was a might fine thing for the Marion Police Department to do. They are always doing wonderful things for the people of Marion.”

    Meanwhile, at town hall, children lined up to choose a toy during the police department’s annual drive.

    Seven-year-old Pierre Benthall was ready to pick out a bike as his present.

    “I wanted to get a bicycle, because I didn’t have one anymore; someone stole mine,” he said. “Now I will have a bike to ride for Christmas.”

    Because of the generosity of the community, nearly 250 children had a merrier Christmas this year, according to Marion Police Chief Randall Davis.      There were also a total of 80 hams and turkeys distributed along with bags of candy and hot dogs.

    “We know there are families out there who are struggling, and it’s up to us to to close that gap with certain people, and help them out,” Davis said. “That is what we strive to do everyday. Our job is to curb crime, but it’s also to serve these people the best we can. Everyone needs to get on board with this, and my team is on board.”

    Davis said it all starts with the kids at home.

    “If a child gets up Christmas morning and doesn’t have presents under the tree, it’s a bad scenario,” Davis said. “The parents feel bad because they weren’t able to buy for them, and it creates another bad scenario, so where does it go from there? It turns into bad — that’s what it does. We know that, and the people in the community know that, and we are just here to try to change it up a little bit and help.”