Jasmine Strong Toy Drive keeps growing
By Terry Murry on Friday, December 20th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY – Jasmine Ellwood, the daughter of Det. Mike Ellwood of the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office, was a teenager battling cancer at a hospital in Portland in 2019. She noticed how families far from home tried to bring Christmas to their sick children and decided to do something about it. Her father, who was an officer for the Hermiston Police Department at the time, helped.
The result is for the sixth year, the Jasmine Strong Toy Drive has delivered toys to Ronald McDonald houses and hospitals throughout Oregon and Washington. This year the drive branched out to include locations in Idaho as well. The toys go to children far from home who are undergoing serious medical treatments.
Walmart stores and that company’s transportation branch stepped up to fill their trucks with toys and help deliver them to the locations. While the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office plays a major role in delivering the toys, the convoys are met by law enforcement at their destinations to escort them.
“We’re delivering 99 pallets of toys this year, Undersheriff Jim Littlefield said. “We’re thinking there are 200,000 to 300,000 toys.”
This week is delivery week. As the week draws to a close, Littlefield says it’s a great deal of work, but it brings UCSO and everyone involved a great deal of satisfaction.
Photo from UCSO shows a Jasmine Strong delivery in Seattle.
