Members of the NYPD were honored at a spring luncheon for their good deeds during the winter season.
The Seton Foundation for Learning supports special education programs throughout the island. It honored officers of Highway Patrol 5 at a ceremony in Bloomfield on Saturday.
Every holiday, the patrol unit helps Santa Claus deliver his sleigh filled with hundreds of toys for special-needs children.
The honorees say their families organize the toy drive and make it all possible.
"Our children are really the unrecognized heroes in all this because they come in on their own time and they wrap all the gifts," said Detective Thomas Cerbone of the NYPD Highway Patrol 5 Unit.
"It's always nice to see, especially for young people, to embrace children with special needs and just treat them like regular individuals. It's just a really happy time and a great way to raise awareness," said Teresa Gaglia the President of the Seton Foundation Parent Association.
Hundreds attended the luncheon.
In addition to honoring the local heroes, the foundation also held a fundraising raffle for its education programs.