On Tuesday, Auburn-area California Highway Patrol officers set out on a gift-giving mission to kids in need. A group of volunteers and officers played Santa Claus to children hospitalized for the holidays. The officers visited three Roseville hospitals, including Kaiser Roseville to give donated toys to pediatric patients. Spokesman Officer David Martinez said that there were toys for ages ranging from infant to teenagers and many officers donated gift cards to the cause.

“We wanted to make sure that every kid we came in contact with had some nice toys,” Martinez said.

Martinez said it was heart-warming to see that the community’s contributions to the ChiPs for Kids toy drive brought joy to the gift recipients.

“They were just overwhelmed,” Martinez said. “We saw a lot of their eyes light up and that was nice.”

~ Jenifer Gee