BLOOMFIELD, NJ — On Friday, Dec. 8, Bloomfield residents Steve, Lorajean, Kyle and Emily Tice continued their annual tradition of dressing as Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, and Santa’s elves for children in the neighborhood and providing hot chocolate and cookies at their Bolten Place home. In recent years, Steve, who plays Santa, and his family have asked their neighbors to bring new, unwrapped children’s toys to be donated to the Bloomfield Department of Health and Human Services. This year, they collected more than 300 toys.
“We started this tradition when my daughter was in second grade and suggested we do something for those who are less fortunate. A friend of mine in Belleville had the idea to dress as Santa and collect gifts for the community. So every year for the last six years, we have neighbors and friends come by our house to meet Santa, where we collect toys,” said Steve. “It is a great feeling to bring joy to kids by meeting Santa, and teach them the value of giving gifts to people in their communities. We would like to thank everyone who donated presents, and our neighbors for putting up with the small inconvenience of having our street closed down for the night.”
Steve has filed applications to block off the street in recent years due to the volume of foot traffic that comes with kids wanting to meet Santa. Members of the Bloomfield Fire Department show up as well, and entertain children by showing them around the fire trucks.
“Bloomfield is a great town because of the sense of community that so many residents and service groups work hard to foster. It is always inspiring to see individuals look for new ways to make everyone’s holiday season a little bit brighter,” said Mayor Michael Venezia. “On behalf of the entire Bloomfield Township Council, I would like to thank the Bloomfield Fire Department, Police Department, and of course the Tice family for making this yearly toy drive a success.”
The toys collected by the Tice family will be distributed throughout the holiday season by the Department of Health and Human Services to local families, including many of their clients. Money donated by neighbors was sealed in an envelope and delivered to the department as well, to go toward their community assistance funds.
“Bloomfield Human Services is the township’s outpatient mental-health and social-services center. Our staff aims to foster a sense of well-being and wholeness. Public health social workers provide counseling, crisis intervention, home visits and assessments. When exceptional individuals like Steve donate clothing or toys, we are eager to help distribute them,” said Human Services Supervisor Paula Peikes. “These gifts will make a big difference in many children’s holidays.”
The Department of Health and Human Services engages in community building programs throughout the year, as well as supply and toy drives for local families. In October, Health and Human Services partnered with Knock Knock Give a Sock to deliver 30,000 pairs of socks to more than 25 shelters and community aid organizations that help low income and homeless individuals throughout Essex County.
Residents interested in donating supplies to the Department of Health and Human Services may call Paula Peikes at 973-680-4017 or email ppeikes@bloomfieldtwpnj.com.
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