NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—For the past eight years, local resident Dotty McDonald has made it her mission to raise funds to purchase gift cards from local eateries and donate them to the officers and staff of the Newport Beach Police Department (NBPD).
The spry 94-year-old says it’s her way of giving back to those who give so much to the community.
Last year, Ms. McDonald’s grassroots campaign raised $12,000. This year, she doubled that number, raising more than $25,000 in donations from citizens eager to support her efforts.
Ms. McDonald told The Epoch Times that she came up with the idea after becoming a citizen volunteer with the NBPD, often riding along with officers during their long shifts.
As she got to know some of their favorite meal stops, she decided to raise funds to purchase and donate meal gift cards as a show of support and appreciation. Ms. McDonald donates the money to the Newport Beach Police Association, who then work with her to purchase the cards.
She chose July 5th, the day after the grueling 4th of July holiday weekend and the busiest time of the year for the department, to deliver her gift of gratitude.
“We want our police to know how much we care about them, respect them,” she said. “I want the world to know that Newport Beach supports its police department and the men and women in blue. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
On Wednesday, Ms. McDonald was greeted by a crowd including the chief, officers, staff members, and officials as she handed over bags of $50 gift cards from local restaurants including Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizza Store, Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, and In-N-Out Burger—with Chipotle and In-N-Out Burger matching the $50, increasing the cards to $100 each.
“It means so much when community members like Dotty take the time and effort to show such great support for our team,” Newport Beach Police Chief Joe Cartwright told The Epoch Times.
‘It’s Never Too Late to Say Thank You’
After her husband of 51 years passed away, Ms. McDonald decided she had to keep busy—both mentally and physically—and says she wanted to give back to the community she loved.After graduating from the Citizen’s Academy, Ms. McDonald became a volunteer with the department, handling duties that consisted mainly of checking vacation homes or scrutinizing pawn shop sales slips for stolen items.
“I loved every assignment I got, but my very favorite was riding along with different police officers during the midnight shifts, those shifts were the most exciting,” she recalled with a twinkle in her eye.
Ms. McDonald spent countless hours riding along with officers, many of them during the 7:00 p.m.-to-4:30 a.m. shift, occasionally stopping at a local restaurant or coffee shop. Over the years, she says she became a friend and confidante to many of the officers, and she got to know their favorite meal stops.
“I think they look at me like a mother or a grandmother that they can confide in,” she said.
Even though she’s now retired from her official volunteer duties, Ms. McDonald is still an active ambassador and advocate for the NBPD in the community, and she considers the friends she made in the department as extended family, and says they feel the same. Often, they share invitations to weddings, birthdays, graduations, lifetime milestones, or just a quiet dinner at a favorite restaurant.
Ms. McDonald says that no matter how much money she raises, it will never match the love, respect, and appreciation she has for the department. “The gift cards are just a small token of recognition for their service and sacrifice,” she said.
“I’ll be 94 next month, God-willing, I plan to keep on going,” she added. “Remember, it’s never too late to say thank you.”
