Sheriff’s Office distributes Easter baskets to more than 200 children

The Gulf County Sheriff’s Office got to play Easter Bunny on Tuesday, delivering 227 Easter baskets to children around the county as part of their annual Easter basket drive.

Sheriff Mike Harrison said that additional money brought in through fundraising efforts was donated to food distribution organizations in both Port St. Joe and Wewahitchka.

“We raised a lot of money this year,” Harrison said, “so we were able to give donations to Two Fish in Port St. Joe and the Ministerial Alliance in Wewahitchka.”

“Normally with our Christmas drive we provide grocery gift cards to the families, but since these baskets were given directly to the kids, we figured this was the best way to provide similar services.”

Baskets were delivered to children at North Florida Child Development in Wewahitchka and Port St. Joe as well as the pre-K programs at  Port St. Joe and Wewahitchka elementary schools.

According to the drive’s organizers, donations for the event were recieved from an anonymous snowbird, The Murphy Family Foundation, The 98 Real Estate Group, many local folks and the Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

“Days like today are the good ones,” Harrison said on Tuesday after finishing the basket distribution. “When we can go around spreading cheer, it makes it all worthwile.”