Travis County Sheriff’s Brown Santa program distributes food, toys

Travis County Brown Santa hands out toys, food to families in need

Twenty-five hundred families received food, HEB gift cards, and boxes full of toys as part of the 2022 Travis County Brown Santa program.

AUSTIN, Texas - Sunday morning was pick-up day for the Travis County Sheriff’s Brown Santa program.

The Sheriff’s Office raised money and collected toys all year long for the annual event and then distributed hundreds of gifts to families in need of a little assistance this time of year.

For 41 years, the deputies have helped provide Christmas joy for families in the community.

"This is a different time when families can see police in a different light, in a good scenario for sure," Travis County Brown Santa Chairman and Deputy Sheriff Louis Moncivais said.

Twenty-five hundred families received food, HEB gift cards, and boxes full of toys. "We give them three toys, a stuffed animal, and then we give them two books,’ Deputy Moncivais said. ‘A lot of work goes into that box, that’s for sure, but it’s a lot of Christmas joy."

About 2,000 volunteers donated their time to make the magic happen.

"As a community servant, being out here, being able to help our community, being able to see families that get excited, little kids that get excited because they’re going to have a really great Christmas this year," Travis County Precinct 4 Constable George Morales said.

Volunteers wrap presents for Travis County Sheriff's Brown Santa program

Many volunteers showed up Saturday to help wrap gifts for families in need that will be distributed by the program, which is expected to serve around 2,500 families this holiday season.

"A lot of these families won’t have Christmas if it wasn’t for our program, so that’s the reason why we have the program for families that are having tough times, especially the economy the way it is," Deputy Moncivais said.

Deputy Moncivais said they received a 45 percent increase in applications this year from last year.

"The numbers skyrocketed this year and when they did, I didn’t know if I was going to have enough toys to serve everybody, but we sent out some social media blasts and it got shared around, and we just got a bunch of love from the community, everyone just started bringing donations into our warehouse," Deputy Moncivais said.

He said that’s what it’s all about, the giving spirit of Christmas.

"It’s not just for providing toys for families, it’s also the community coming together as a whole and we’re able to provide this for the families. It’s a very warm feeling for me," Deputy Moncivais said.

Preparations for next year’s deliveries start in February.