Deputies helped Secret Santa

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BROOKINGS – Deputies from the Brookings County Sheriff’s Office became Santa’s helpers in December when they gifted eight $100 bills to people in need of a better Christmas.

The money came from an area businessman whose identity is being kept secret, and this is the first time the Sheriff’s Office has done this.

It started with a Secret Santa meeting with Sheriff Marty Stanwick over a cup of coffee. The Secret Santa wanted the deputies to give eight $100 bills to people in need so that they might have a better Christmas.

“He asked me how many guys I have patrolling, and I said I have eight. He says we’ll start with this. Then if it goes well, then next year, he may give more,” Stanwick said.

People received the gift the week or two before Christmas. Deputies put on Santa hats whenever they presented someone with the money. Some of these people were met by the deputies out on the road, while at least one was gifted $100 after stopping into the Sheriff’s Office.

One family that was gifted had been stranded on the road when its vehicle ran out of gas. The man had been helping someone move into the area when he ran out of gas.

As the deputy drove the man to go get some gas, they started to talk. The deputy asked him how his Christmas was going to be, and the man responded by saying it’d be slim this year because he was working part-time. The deputy pulled out a Santa hat, put it on and gave him the envelope with the $100 bill.

Another person in need showed up at the Sheriff’s Office requesting gas money so she could be with her husband in Sioux Falls who was having bypass surgery. Although he was a veteran, he hadn’t yet received his benefits, and so they were short.

The deputies also learned about a mother in Elkton who was having a tough time, and they gave her this gift, too.

Stanwick said deputies got some hugs, and one of the women baked the deputies some cookies as a thank-you.

“I got a card from a lady that got a Secret Santa. It says, ‘Secret Santa, you have no idea how that $100 has impacted my life. First, thank you, and God bless you,’” with the card continuing on from there, Stanwick said.

This chance to give to people in need was a great gift for the deputies, too, Stanwick said. In their line of work, deputies typically only get to see people at their worst and in tough situations.

“Everybody thinks of law enforcement as tough, but even they can get a little tear in their eyes when they see the reactions of someone appreciative of a random act of kindness,” Stanwick said. “This was something positive, and I think it made them feel good to see that you’ve made somebody’s day.”

Contact Eric Sandbulte at esandbulte@brookingsregister.com.