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For Carol Stream families in need, Christmas comes early

Posted December 14, 2025 8:58 am

Mrs. Claus and Santa — Carol Stream police officer Amanda Larsen and Police Chief Don Cummings — greeted families outside the Carol Stream Park District’s Fountain View Recreation Center for the police department’s Christmas Sharing event on Wednesday, Dec. 10. Courtesy of Dino Heckermann/Carol Stream Police Department

Around 200 Carol Stream families got an early audience with Santa and Mrs. Claus this week at the village’s annual Carol Stream Christmas Sharing event.

A project of the Carol Stream Police Department’s Social Services Unit, the Clauses — Police Chief Don Cummings and veteran patrol officer Amanda Larsen — greeted residents on Wednesday outside the Carol Stream Park District’s Fountain View Recreation Center.

It was the 48th year of the event, which distributes gift bags of toys, food, and hygiene products to families in need.

“For me as Santa, it’s just a great opportunity to connect with residents outside of a uniform,” Cummings said. “Seeing the children’s eyes light up when they see me, and also with ‘Mrs. Claus,’ is a great way to put things in perspective.”

Emergency responders were among the 50 volunteers who helped distribute toys and food to Carol Stream families at the Christmas Sharing event on Wednesday, Dec. 10. Courtesy of Dino Heckermann/Carol Stream Police Department

Cummings has been with the police department for 22 years and has served as chief since November 2023. Larsen, who offered bilingual holiday greetings in English and Spanish, has been with the department for 29 years.

“Our police department is woven into the fabric of our community, so being able to be a part of those things, and seeing that, and just to be a small part of what this program is all about means everything,” Cummings said.

This year, 206 families preregistered for the sharing program.

Donations were gathered from throughout Carol Stream. Volunteers helped collect and distribute 8,338 pounds of food, thousands of hygiene products, and more than 1,600 toys, said Kathleen McNamara, Social Services Unit supervisor.

“Our fire protection district and public works always help us with the heavy lifting when we get our collections in,” McNamara said. “They’re our really big, jumbo elves.”

McNamara said more than 50 people volunteered during the event, including village staff, elected officials, and members of the Young Men’s Service League, the Rotary Club, and the Community Emergency Response Team.

Volunteers organize the food, toys and hygiene products that donors provided for this year’s Carol Stream Christmas Sharing program. Courtesy of Dino Heckermann/Carol Stream Police Department

Carol Stream Mayor Frank Saverino Sr. and the entire village board attended the event.

Cummings called the efforts toward the Christmas Sharing event “truly amazing” and looked forward to its return in 2026.

“Kathleen and Eileen (Molloy-Langdon), Jazmin (Garza), Marina (Hernandez), Chris (Binder), those individuals in our Carol Stream Police Department Social Services Unit should be taking all the credit,” he said. “It’s a cool thing to be a part of, and I’m honored to do it.”