WALKER, La. — On Dec. 19, the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, led by Sheriff Jason Ard, held its annual “Christmas Crusade,” with several dozen officers gathering to distribute gifts to families in need across the parish.
After a few opening remarks about the nature of the deliveries and how squads would be divided, Ard reminded the group to let the department know if they met anyone who might need “more of a blessing than we give them,” noting that deputies “have people that can help us get… some food or maybe other things. We give to help those people, so we have avenues to be able to do that.”
Before the crusade began, squads and volunteers were assigned their routes and the gifts for each family. They headed out shortly after the briefing. It was also announced that Rudy’s Seafood and Steakhouse would provide lunch for the Sheriff’s Office once deliveries wrapped up.
Among the gifts collected by volunteers across the parish were bikes, Nerf guns, dolls of all kinds, and even fishing poles. Many officers had at least one large bag of presents to deliver, and some had four or five.
Captain Thomas Martin’s squad was in high spirits, spreading enough holiday cheer to turn even the most serious frowns into smiles as they moved through several neighborhoods.
Reserve Deputy Todd Sibley, traveling with Martin’s squad, said he joins the crusade every year “to help support the community… because this is our way of giving back.”
Deputy Sierra Bennett echoed that sentiment, saying “giving back to the community” and “bringing smiles instead of bad news” is what the event and the season are all about.
Not every family was ready for photos, but many stepped forward to thank the officers for their contributions this holiday season.
Montana Talbert, one of the individuals on the squad’s route, said Christmas is the “season that y’all [the Sheriff’s Office] bless these kids with these gifts when their parents can’t afford it.”
Felicia Fitzgerald, who previously worked as a McDonald’s manager before being injured and placed on worker’s compensation, said the program meant everything to her family. “This has definitely blessed us a lot… if it wouldn’t have been for this, I wouldn’t have been able to provide my kids Christmas at all. It is definitely a godsend.”
Along the way, Martin’s squad also stopped to visit the family of the late Sgt. Bobby Dillion, whose longstanding service and good humor made him a fixture in past Christmas Crusades. Before his passing, he was known for showing up each year with his trademark biscuit in hand as patrols rolled out to deliver gifts.
Although this is not the first year the Christmas Crusade has taken place, it continues to show why the effort is so meaningful. It offers parents in need a sense of peace and helps ensure Santa makes his rounds across Livingston Parish each and every year.
