Being a good neighbor means giving back and offering a helping hand in times of need — especially during the holidays.
Northeastern University faculty, staff and students know this well.
That’s why they come out in force year after year to support the university’s gift-giving initiatives and programs, donating hundreds of toys to children throughout the city. The toys — ranging from coloring books and puzzles to stuffed animals and action figures — are a godsend for families.
The Northeastern Office of City and Community Engagement (CCE) in partnership with the university’s Latinx Student Cultural Center has again donated toys and gift cards to neighborhood housing developments and community organizations making a difference in Boston.
Recipients included the Flat 9 at Whitter housing complex on 100 Cabot St., where many families live on a strict budget, according to Jada Collins, the community impact manager of the complex.
“We have a lot of people who work and can just meet their bills,” Collins says. “With inflation for the last two to three years, it’s hard to get kids more than one gift.”
Meanwhile, the Northeastern University Police Department was at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on Friday, dropping off gifts it collected from the Northeastern community as part of a partnership with The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.
In a cruiser convoy with Santa Claus himself — officer Robert Gorman — NUPD arrived at the expo in style. Alongside him was one of his elves —- officer Christopher Keenan — and campus dogs Ryder and Cooper.
“It’s about being one with the community telling them that we are there for them ” says NUPD Sgt. Allison Piantedosi, who oversees the department’s community engagement.
On Monday afternoon, the CCE team arrived at the Whitter complex with enough bags of toys in hand to support dozens of families.
“They can come here and get a gift and know that we see them and that they matter,” Collins says.
The CCE team also dropped off toys at Alice Taylor Housing Development, the Tobin Community Center, Villa Victoria and United South End Settlements.
And new this year, in partnership with a local Christmas tree farm located in Roxbury, the city and community engagement team also gave out 30 free tree vouchers to residents at Flat 9 at Whitter, Villa Victoria and the Alice Taylor Housing Development.
While this is the second year the CCE team has partnered with the cultural center, it has been hosting some version of the toy drive for more than a decade, according to John Tobin, vice president for city and community engagement at Northeastern.
“I think it’s our responsibility as the city and community engagement team, and as a university as whole to know who our neighbors are,” he says. “There are a lot of neighbors who aren’t as fortunate as we are.”
“It’s the generosity of all our colleagues throughout the university, and that includes students too who donate, who donate cash that we can buy toys that leads to this effort,” he adds.
NUPD partners with police departments at other local colleges and hospitals every year for the drive as part of the Law Enforcement Area Network (LEARN).
The network was started by Northeastern about a decade ago to help build bridges between different area police forces.
It meets monthly to plan events and other activities to support local families and residents in need. The toy drive is one of its biggest initiatives, Piantedosi says.
“We have different facets to our job,” Piantedosi adds. “One is to protect and serve, but it is also to give back and let them know we are here to help.”