The fifth annual Santa Cop auction will be Saturday at East Park Plaza Mall, 220 N. 66th St. More than 140 items or services -- from holiday baked goods to a football autographed by the No. 1 Nebraska football team -- will be auctioned to raise money to buy gifts for needy children. The Lincoln Police Department and the Lincoln Police Union started the Santa Cop Program in 1980. Officers had noticed that certain families with children seemed to fall through the community's assistance programs, said Lincoln police officer Tom Duden, the union's vice president. Police noticed that sometimes families just couldn't afford holiday gifts. "We tried to step in and help," Duden said. About 1,500 children receive gifts and 50 additional families receive holiday meals from the Santa Cop Program. The annual auction has grown each year. The program was growing so much, Duden said, that the Lincoln Action Program now helps distribute the holiday gifts. "If we didn't do something," he said, "we would have had to hire individuals to work on the Santa Cop Program." In previous years, Santa Cop has collected gifts or money from clubs, organizations, fraternities and sororities. Other businesses in Lincoln have offered discounts to people who bring in toys for the program. This year, organizers requested responses from families participating in the program, he said. "It is really tremendous to get cards from the kids thanking us for their Christmas gifts," Duden said. "Sometimes the smile on their faces is enough to show how our program has a positive effect in the community." There will be a new twist to the auction this year: Cook Family Foods will provide entertainment. At 2 p.m., Mrs. Claus will tell stories. Magician Gayle Beckwar will perform at 5 p.m., and Calliope Clown Alley No. 40 goes on at 6 p.m. The merchandise will go on display at noon, and the auction will begin at 7 p.m. Anyone interested in helping out can contact Duden through Lincoln police. On the same day of the auction, at Lincoln High School, the Homebuilders Association will build rocking horses to be distributed by police. Additionally, the Homebuilders Association has made a catalog that parents can use to choose gifts for their children; officers will deliver these gifts, as well.
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