Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office and Secret Santa Team Up To Spread Christmas Cheer

FORT BEND COUNTY, TX -- Deputies from the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office, and Sheriff Troy Nehls were on the lookout just days before Christmas for anyone who could use a little Christmas Cheer.

"What we're going to do is see if we can find a family that could use a little bit of holiday cheer in their lives," Nehls said as he paroled the Walmart in Richmond.

Nehls and his deputies were prowling Walmart stores throughout Fort Bend County handing out gift cards that have come to the sheriff’s office from a Secret Santa for the second year in a row.

The Secret Santa donated dozens of Walmart gift cards with $100 on each card to be distributed by deputies.

The Secret Santa told KPRC that he wanted people who really needed the help to receive the gift cards and have law enforcement pass them out as a way of building trust between the community and law enforcement.

Gloria Martinez, who is a mother of five, grandmother, and great-grandmother was the recipient of one of those $100 Secret Santa gift cards.

"Well, I was really just looking, looking for bargains and things, but now that I have this, well, I can buy a little bit more," she said.

In total, 100 families across Fort Bend County were surprised by sheriff's deputies with $100 gift cards. For Martinez, it means a brighter Christmas, and for the county, the start of a new tradition.

"I started this last year,” the Secret Santa said. “I told the sheriff that we were going to try to double it this year. We did, and we're going to try to do it again next year and the years to come."

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