VENTURA : Deputy Santas Deliver Joy to the Needy

Exchanging uniforms for Santa suits, members of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department distributed food and toys to about 150 needy families Friday.

Red-clad deputies in patrol cars delivered holiday baskets containing turkeys and trains, rice and roller-blades in such east county communities as Moorpark. In the west county, families picked up the items and received a visit from Santa at the Ventura County Government Center in the 14th annual food and toy drive.

“We’re not always the bad guys in the rearview mirrors. We have a heart too,” said Deputy Chuck Buttell, who founded the drive. “We estimate over the last 14 years over 7,000 citizens have benefited from this program.”

Sometimes the people receiving the food and gifts may be the same folk deputies have met in a different, less pleasant context, he said. But since some families are given a ham, this time around deputies are considered a welcome sight.

“We’ve had people where we’ve arrested members of their family, . . . but we don’t discriminate by criminal activity,” Buttell said. “Sometimes business is business, but not this time.”

This year, Daniel Gillette, 14, of Oxnard is playing Santa for the first time, continuing a tradition begun by his late father. Former Deputy Mike Gillette, who died last May at age 43, had played the part for the last 12 years.

“I felt I just needed to do it to carry on what my father started,” he said.

The drive has grown over the years.

What began as a helping hand to 10 families has become a four-month marathon, with thousands of dollars’ worth of toys and food given away. Variflex Corp. of Moorpark and Walt Disney Co. are among the major corporate sponsors. Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Camarillo donated 50 bicycles this year.

“This is something we do every year and we feel a hell of a lot better for doing it,” Buttell said.