NYPD union: Holiday toy giveaway benefits less-privileged kids

Hundreds of children in less-privileged areas of Queens and Brooklyn got free toys Saturday from the NYPD’s largest union, officials said.

The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association of the City of New York distributed toys to kids in Far Rockaway, Queens, and Brownsville, Brooklyn, Saturday, according to the union.

The children received new toys, including footballs, basketballs, dolls, and board games, according to photos from the event of the giveaways at the Church of the Nazarene in Far Rockaway and the Brownsville Recreational Center.

The union planned a holiday party for homeless families in Crown Heights at 4:30 p.m. Saturday with hot food in the gym of Medgar Evers College.

“The PBA’s support of communities in need is not widely known,” PBA president Patrick J. Lynch said in a statement.

“Delivering toys to needy families is just one thing the PBA does to help. This union, which represents nearly 50,000 active and retired NYC police officers, supports organizations like the Police Athletic League, Community Mayor’s Association, the Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots campaign, the NY Press Club Foundation and others too numerous to mention.”

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.