FREEPORT, Texas — The Freeport Police Department needs help after a bunch of rats tried to ruin Christmas for children in their area.
Every year since 2015, the Freeport community has been donating toys for the police department's Blue Santa program. They also hold fundraisers throughout the year to raise money to buy toys for families that sign up for the program. They get to shop in the Blue Santa store to pick out Christmas presents for their kiddos.
Officers discovered rats invaded the toy storage room which was slightly damaged after Hurricane Beryl. That must have created an opening where the rodents got inside.
"It was a city-owned building used for storage purposes and, unfortunately, you know, there became a way for some rodents to get in that building and we just weren't aware of it," Police Chief Jennifer Howell told KHOU 11.
When they went to set everything up for the store on Wednesday, they found ruined toys covered in rat urine and feces.
The department reached out to the CDC and the Texas Department of State and Health Services who confirmed that the toys would have to be thrown away because they now posed a health risk, including hantavirus.
"That's obviously not the condition we want to give any child for Christmas," Howell said.
After an emergency meeting, FPD put out an emergency call for help on Facebook to replace the items, saying they were heartbroken by the loss. The department is asking for help from businesses and residents to replace the toys.
"We have almost 300 children already on our list, and we know that more are coming" FPD posted on Facebook. "We want to be able to provide each child with a safe and magical Christmas."
"We just don't want any children to go without that magic of Christmas," Howell said. "We want to plea to the public for their help on this."
They've also already found an alternate location to store the donated toys.
Anyone who can donate money or toys, should call FPD at 979-239-1211 or email FPDCharity@freeport.tx.us
We have a crew on this story and we'll have a report on our 6 p.m. newscast.