ROCHESTER — The Rochester Police and the Plumb Corner Merchants brought in quite a haul for the Gifts to Give drive and the Cram-a-Cruiser food drive this Saturday, piling up toys and canned food to help the community. 

Despite the occasional rain, organizers and residents came together to show their support for the community.

“People have been very generous this year,” said Rachel Stanton, who coordinated the event with the Plumb Corner Merchants and the police brotherhood. “It has gone way better than we thought it would.”

Outside of the Plumb Corner Market, toys were collected to benefit the organization Gifts to Give which provides assistance to young people living on the South Coast. The treasures collected on Saturday included everything from board games, sporting equipment, toy trucks, and more. 

“It’s awesome because people don’t have to do it — but they do,” added Stanton. She explained that the goal of the event was to support members of the community that needed a little help during the holidays. 

To help local seniors this holiday, canned veggies and boxes of pasta were stacked in the back of a parked Rochester Police cruiser, which collected non-perishable food items. 

Girl Scout Troop 81001 also braved the rain on Saturday, and sold an assortment of cookies in front of the market. The scouts of Troop 81001 are saving up for a trip to Niagara Falls where they plan on receiving their Gold Awards, the highest award in the organization. 

Santa Claus also made an appearance during the day, listening to the Christmas wishes of young residents. Crafts were held inside of Countryside Child Care and the Plumb Library Junior Friends offered a few games.