Santa Claus wore a badge and carried a gun yesterday morning. Instead of a sleigh, Christmas cheer came in the back of a cruiser and a police van to people who would otherwise have faced a bleak holiday.

The part of Santa Claus was played by Ironton Police Sgt. Joe Ross and dispatcher Sharon Webb, who toted sacks of wrapped packages and boxes of food to two needy families with young children. They also took boxes of food to two elderly residents.

The food was donated by Pick N Save and another local grocery store that asked to remain anonymous. The toys and other gifts were donated by police department personnel and the Ironton Fraternal Order of Police.

"This makes me feel wonderful," Webb said as she sorted the gift packages for delivery. "Our department is proud to do this for these families. I told my husband that it's so exciting to be able to do this." Webb said she is especially pleased that the department as a whole got into the spirit of giving, donating their own time, money and effort to help someone else.

For Katheryn Shope, the donations are a godsend. She is a single mother with two small children, Raechel, 4, and Janice, four months.

"I feel blessed, thankful," Shope said. "To be honest, I had bought four presents for Raechel, and one for Janice."

The department began the practice of selecting a needy family for assistance 12 years ago, and this year decided to add more recipients to their list. Wenn said one of the families selected to assistance was referred to the department by the Lawrence County Children's Services. Police department personnel were acquainted with the other family and with the two elderly residents, knew their economic circumstances and wanted to give hope to people in need.

"We're here to help," Webb said. "Hopefully next year we can make it bigger."