Hightstown and East Windsor police benevelont associations combine efforts
By: Marisa Maldonado
Residents who want to give to underprivileged children have several outlets to choose from this season all of which will donate toys to the same cause.
Both Hightstown’s and East Windsor’s police benevolent associations the police unions are once again holding toy drives, and this time they’re combining their efforts. Most of the toys will go to children at Better Beginnings, a Hightstown preschool.
K&B Tattoo and Piercing will hold a Toys 4 Kids Bike Show on Sunday where the price of admission is a new, unwrapped toy. Toys will go to both police toy drives.
The show is the second that the East Windsor department has done with K&B, although its drive is about 15 years old. Hightstown’s Police Department has partnered with the Hightstown PBA on a toy drive for the last 10 years.
"What we decided to do is put everything together," said East Windsor Sgt. Bill Froelich. "It’s actually worked out very well."
The bicycle show, which runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., is expected to attract 200 motorcycle owners this year, said Joe "Mac" McEneaney, manager of K&B. Many of the participants show up with bags of toys, he said. The generosity of bike riders can sometimes benefit boys more than girls, Mr. McEneaney acknowledged.
"Basically all the guys that ride here are men, so they brings boys’ toys," he said. "We need girls’ toys."
And Sgt. Froelich said teenagers who attend the party often find that not enough presents are available for them.
"I’ve learned over the years to make stuff available for the teenagers as well," said Sgt. Froelich, who recommended a gift card from a teen-friendly store as an option.
Each child at the party receives one gift from Santa Claus played by Hightstown Patrolman David Chenoweth, who said he experiences as much joy as the children.
"It’s excellent. It’s amazing," he said. "When you give the gifts, just seeing the expressions on their faces … it’s something you have to experience."
Mr. McEneaney said he got involved with the Hightstown police after talking to several officers who came in for tattoos. The police initially wanted K&B to be a drop-off point for toys when their drive started 10 years ago.
One year later, K&B held the first bicycle and car show benefiting the toy drive. This year’s show also will feature a disc jockey and door prizes.
Toys can also be dropped off at the following locations:
East Windsor Police Department, 80 One Mile Road, East Windsor;
Hightstown Police Department, 148 N. Main St., Hightstown;
Cranbury Manor Exxon, Route 130, East Windsor;
K&B Tattoos, 140 S. Main St., Hightstown;
Randall Furniture, 385 Route 130, East Windsor;
Car Star Collision, 574 Route 130, East Windsor;
Sun National Bank, 140 Mercer St., Hightstown; and
Old Hights Print Shop, 177 Mercer St., Hightstown
All toys from K&B that don’t go to Better Beginnings will go to Hurricane Katrina victims and Victory Junction Game Camp, a North Carolina camp for children with cancer.

