Stay Smart, Secure As You Prepare To Make This Season Bright

This holiday season, financial ex- perts are telling us that we need to shop earlier than ever due to supply chain shortages, which may affect the availability of items we want to purchase for gift-giving.

Whether you’re shopping online or in person in stores here in Volusia County, that’s just the opportunity criminals are looking for to prey on distracted shoppers during the hustle and bustle.

So it’s important to be aware of your surroundings, noting who is nearby and whether they may be up to no good, and being especially vigilant when you’re shopping on the Internet.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has compiled a 2021 Holiday Consumer Protection Guide, which offers tips ranging from helping you spot potential threats and identity theft, to detailing recalled items that are defective or unsafe, to avoiding charity scams.

To access the guide online, go to the Florida Attorney General’s website: www.my floridalegal.com

VSO Holiday Programs:
Each year, the Volusia Sheriff’s Youth Foundation helps Volusia County families for the holidays, thanks to kind residents who donate to these programs.

Our Holiday Programs Include:

• Shop With a Deputy, in which local families living in the Volusia Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction get to shop with a deputy. A donation of $250 will pay for one pre-selected family to shop at Wal-Mart for items they need, toys, clothes, or groceries.
• Deputies Toy Shop, in which deputies distribute donated toys to families that live in any of our patrol zones. The number of families we serve is based on the number of toys we collect.
• Holiday Heroes, in which deputies in each of our five districts deliver donated toys on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to children who may not have received anything, are victims of a crime, or witnesses to a crime or tragedy.

Donations will allow our deputies to assist as many families as we can to have a brighter holiday. To donate, go online to www.vsyf.org Toys can be dropped off at our sheriff’s district offices or call 386. 490.6023 to arrange for pickup.

Thank you, on behalf of your Volusia Sheriff’s Office and the Volusia Sheriff’s Youth Foundation, for helping us reach out to our community with kindness and compassion.

Wishing you and yours
a happy holiday season,
Sheriff Mike Chitwood