The Suffern PBA/DARE Holiday Toy drive brought the community together and filled up the Suffern Community Center with good things for area kids in need. Photo via the Suffern PBA/DARE Holiday Toy Drive

Sunday, December 20, was the announced deadline for this year’s Suffern Police Department holiday toy drive, and the local community responded by filling the Village of Suffern Community Room with lots of gifts for girls and boys in need.

Now in its 25th year, the annual Suffern PBA/DARE Holiday Toy Drive has become a big rallying point for Suffern community cheer and holiday outreach towards a common cause.

Having a good time volunteering at the Suffern Toy Drive! pic.twitter.com/oWvmEJyw8b

— Suffern Basketball (@SuffernHoops) December 20, 2015

This year’s toy drop off locations included the Suffern Police Department, Malandra’s Martial Arts Center, Good Samaritan Hospital, the Suffern Library, Ace Rainbow Hardware, Revel Salon, Brooker Engineering, State Farm insurance, and Allstate Insurance.   Many Ramapo Central Schools also collected toys for the holiday toy drive.

Suffern PD & co. picking up a boat load of toys here at SMS today! Great job students and parents! @ChiefClarkeOsbo pic.twitter.com/GDVHjvR3db — Brian Fox (@SMSprincipal) December 18, 2015

A whole lot of the energy behind the toy drive effort comes Suffern Police Chief Clarke Osborn, who helped start the Suffern PD DARE unit back in 1993. Osborn, with plenty of assistance from the SPD, has overseen its growth into a successful outreach program that supports a local street hockey league for Ramapo Central students 1st through 12th grade, seasonal food drives, and other recreational events for kids.

With the annual Holiday Toy Drive collection all done, the real fun begins — the sorting and separating and gifting to excited kids.