POST FALLS — Reba Blake was alarmed when she saw a group of police employees walking toward her.

"Is everything OK?" the Post Falls woman said shortly after exiting her car at her home on Friday.

Officer Jeremy McMillen calmly broke the news: "This is not a bad thing."

McMillen then handed Blake a $350 Walmart gift card and informed her she and her four children had been selected by the kids' school as a family in need this holiday season.

"This is everything," Blake said, fighting back tears. "This will give us a Christmas. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, guys."

The stop was one of 21 Post Falls Police and their family members plan to make before Christmas with such gift cards and oral hygiene products. The proceeds were left over from the Holidays and Heroes fundraising program.

Blake, a single mother of four, said her son, Christian, has earned straight As in school.

"This will be a reward for him," she said.

Blake said the money will also brighten the spirits of her other children Gabriel, Trinity and Mackinzie.

She said she recently paid off her 1994 Saturn she bought for $250 so she can drive to work to support the kids.

Post Falls Police Capt. Pat Knight said the Christmas Patrol program is a refreshing break from police having to knock on doors for unpleasant reasons.

"This is something we do to make Christmas a little brighter to those in the community," he said between stops.

Mike Chitwood said he and his fiancee, Brittany Schaffer, are very appreciative of the lift.

"It means a lot, especially after we had a car break down," he said after opening his door to the group at the Parkridge Apartments.

Spencer Montague and his family of five received their surprise as a result of someone else passing on their gift and recommending them.

Like Blake, Montague wondered what all the commotion was about when police walked up to his home.

"At first I thought maybe the kids were throwing snowballs or something," he said, referring to his initial thought of why police would be arriving at his house.

When offered the gift card, Montague said he would like to pay it forward before McMillen told him he was recommended to receive it by someone else.

"I'm speechless," Montague said.