Officers with the Orlando Police Department in Florida went above and beyond to help children in need this past week by putting on some Santa hats as they donated and delivered Christmas presents to over one hundred kids.

“They’re showing love for the community, which we very much need,” Olympia Burks told Fox13 as she watched the officers delivering the presents.

The Orlando Police Department bought the toys with money that was donated by cops and staffers. While they give out toys to the community every year, they typically do so at Christmas parties, but there won’t be any of that this year because of COVID-19. Not wanting to rob the local children of their presents, the officers decided to play Santa and hand out the gifts themselves.

“When I opened up gifts on Christmas day, it just brought so much excitement for me. I waited all year for it, so to see another kid have that expression, it just means the world to me,”  said Officer Marcus Hyatt.

TOY DRIVE 🎅: This morning, thanks to the members of the Orlando Police Department who donated toys for well-deserving families in our community, our Neighborhood Patrol Unit, Patrol Officers, & Community Relations Division personally delivered gifts to more than 200 kids. pic.twitter.com/72thlMQZyz

— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) December 12, 2020

Fox News reported that the officers spent weeks collecting the names of children in need from local churches, counselors and community centers. They then made scheduled stops all over the city of Orlando, delivering presents one hundred children in the process. They made sure to bring along some extra toys as well to hand out to children along the way.

“People need to know us, they need to trust us,” Hyatt explained. “Part of bridging that gap is being more visible in the community. Showing people we’re human, showing people we care.”

He added that he wants this event to help “close the gap because so often law enforcement is portrayed a certain way.”

“People don’t get a chance to see us handing out gifts, us having positive conversations with people,” Hyatt said. “People don’t get a chance to see that we are human just like them.”

Officer Hannah Crowe, who was one of the organizers behind this event, said that officers hope it will help to build bridges with the community.

“I think it’s very important to serve our children because they need to grow up knowing that we’re the good guys, we’re here to help you,” she said. “Especially right now, everyone can use some extra help over the holidays.”