The Wareham Police brought in quite a haul for the Dick Melloni Memorial Christmas Toy Drive this Saturday, repeatedly stuffing police cruisers full of toys.

"People have been very generous," said Lt. John Walcek, who coordinated the event with citizen Russ Brady as an activity of the Community Police Partnership. "We haven't been getting trinkets either - we've gotten some good hauls."

"Confiscating" toys from shoppers to stuff cruisers parked outside Target at Wareham Crossing and Walmart on the Cranberry Highway, reinforcements in the department's Ford Expedition had to be called numerous times throughout the day to collect the treasures, which included everything from dolls, sporting equipment, board games, and more.

"I thought that they'd be here at 4:30" to drop off the gifts said Sybil Melloni, wife of the late Dick Melloni, as her home -  a collection point for the gifts before they are all rounded up and head to a warehouse - filled up with yet another delivery at 1:30 p.m.  There were bags of toys covering every available flat surface in the living room and lining the hallway.

And the officers stationed outside Walmart were sure that they'd be back with more. They said they had to beat out the Lieutenants stationed at Target.  After the event was over, the organizers said that they lost track of how many times they had been back to the Melloni home.

This is the first year that the Community Police Partnership has run the stuff-a-cruiser event, but the Melloni Christmas Toy Drive is celebrating its 19th year of collecting unwrapped gifts for the in-need youth of Wareham and Onset.  In addition to Saturday's toy drive, people can donate gifts at several community drop-off locations including Mayflower Bank in West Wareham, Kaleidoscope of Dance, and more.  Presents will be delivered on December 17.

"It's a lot of work, but it's worth it," said Melloni, whose family members all participate in the toy drive as well as other Dick Melloni Youth Foundation activities throughout the year to benefit the youth of Wareham and Onset.  "It makes a lot of children very happy to have something on Christmas.  We're fortunate that there are a lot of good people in Wareham."