Members of law enforcement from across Cherokee County are hoping to spread some extra Christmas cheer this year, knowing times are tough for many families.

The Fraternal Order of Police Cherokee Lodge No. 20 is kicking off its annual "Christmas with a Cop" drive which is directly aimed at helping needy children and families, as well as needy crime victims, during the holiday season.

Last year's drive benefitted at least 15 children or families. The program has benefitted dozens of people overall since its inception, said Sgt. Peter McBride of the Blacksburg Police Department, who serves as president of the local FOP Lodge.

Retired Blacksburg officer Mark Gooch, who is helping organize the drive, said the Lodge is hoping to get donations for the "Christmas with a Cop" drive by Dec. 5 so they know exactly how many people they can help this Christmas. They hope to begin shopping by Dec. 9.

McBride and Gooch both said there's a screening process involved so that the children receiving toys, or families receiving gift cards specifically for food or clothing for their children, are truly in need of help.

Victims advocates and the Department of Social Services do the screening for the Lodge.

Given the current state of the economy, McBride said, "Things are difficult and I'm sure we'll have a greater demand this year." He worried that difficult economic times could impact donations as well, however.

McBride said members of the local lodge will not be making any telephone calls to solicit donations but may make face-to-face visits in the next few weeks.

Donations can be mailed to: Cherokee Lodge #20, FOP, P.O. Box 878, Gaffney, S.C., 29342.

You also can call Gooch at 812-7104 to request pickup of donated items.

The FOP Lodge is accepting new, unwrapped toys for the program. It's asking for the toys to be unwrapped so it can match the toys based on the age and gender of the children benefitting from the program.

Depending on the growth of the "Christmas with a Cop" program in future years, McBride said the FOP Lodge would like to expand it to also offer Christmas cheer and assistance to needy elderly.

"Everything is dependent on however much we can raise," he said. "The more we raise, the more people we can help."

Because the effort is all volunteer, McBride said 100 percent of all funds raised directly benefit local children and families.