BPD delivers holiday gifts to children who lost parents to COVID-19
The Birmingham Police Department deployed its Christmas sleigh Monday, December 22, 2020 to shower the McCall family with gifts.
Francesca McCall recently adopted five of her sister’s children after both her sister and brother-in-law passed away due to COVID-19. McCall already has seven biological children of her own, so she is now caring for 12 children and is a single, working mother.
The family’s GoFundMe page caught the attention of local and national media outlets and their story touched the hearts of many BPD officers as well as Chief Patrick D. Smith.
“Today is less about us as a police department and more about them as a family,” Chief Smith said. “We as a police department, we never want to forget one of the most important parts we do and that’s about service to our communities.”
BPD officers along with command staff, including Chief Smith and Assistant Chief Darnell Davenport, rode a sleigh from BPD Headquarters downtown to West End Purity Holiness Church to deliver donations including toys, bikes, clothing and food to the family.
After the family was presented with the gifts, a local news reporter asked McCall: “How does it make you feel to see the police department came through for you guys in this way?”
“Just thankful and very appreciative and tears, because they don’t have to do anything and for them to reach out and do this…,” McCall responded.
During the presentation, Chief Smith revealed he was the youngest of 13 children growing up.
“We wanted to spread a little Christmas cheer their way because we felt that this family touched our hearts and our minds and we wanted to do something special for them,” Chief Smith said. “So, today, our officers are here representing the Birmingham Police Department and we want to wish them a very merry Christmas and we want to do everything we can to support them. So thank you guys so much and we hope that you will find great joy and pleasure in many of the things that we are providing today.”