PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — The Placer County Sheriff's Office has received an early Christmas present that the local agency is planning to share with families in need for the holidays.
The sheriff's office is calling it "Operation Secret Santa." The project's goal is to help homeless families to get up on their feet ahead of the holidays, according to Placer County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Angela Musallam.
"Operation Secret Santa" started when an anonymous donor gave the Placer County Sheriff's Office $11,000 in $100 Visa gift cards.
So far, they have only distributed six gift cards. Charisma Aleo, was one of the recipients. Aleo was surprised with multiple gift cards after her car was stolen from the parking lot of a Placer County shopping center.
Deputies found her car a short time later, but not how she left it.
"It was full of gas but they took everything inside," Aleo explained. "They left my wrapping paper, but took everything else inside."
Later, the sheriff's office decided to surprise Aleo with Operation Secret Santa.
"We tricked her," Deputy Manny Temores recalled. "We said, 'Hey, we need you to look at your car.' And we had her come out to her car... We said, 'Hey, just kidding. We felt like you could benefit from this.'"
On Tuesday afternoon, the sheriff's office posted another story on Facebook of deputies giving two $100 visa cards to a homeless couple with three children and one on the way.
The sheriff's office wrote that the husband works at a local Home Depot, and the family lives in an RV. The sheriff's office teamed up with a social worker to help the family find housing.
"Such a seemingly small act can change someone's life," Aleo said. "Lending a hand can change someone's perspective."
Follow the conversation on Facebook with Madison Wade.
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