Deputy chief trades officer’s hat for Santa hat to give away gift cards as part of Project Christmas Cheer

December 23, 2021 | By David Adam, MRN Editor

Adam Yates, a deputy chief with the Quincy Police Department, talks with a Quincy family after giving them HyVee gift cards Thursday afternoon as part of Project Christmas Cheer. | David Adam

QUINCY — HyVee, Stifel and the Quincy Police Department teamed up Thursday afternoon to surprise a few people around Quincy with a little holiday cheer.

Adam Yates, a deputy chief with the Quincy Police Department, was armed with a stack of $25 and $50 gift cards from HyVee and approached unsuspecting people to brighten their day, even for just a moment. Yates spent about an hour driving around Quincy in his squad car as part of Project Christmas Cheer, trading his officer’s hat for a Santa hat.

HyVee and Stifel combined to give officers from the Quincy Police Department $4,000 worth of cards to be given away this week.

Some people were a little nervous when they saw a squad car pull up in their neighborhood or as they were outside enjoying the unseasonably warm December day. However, all of them thanked Yates with a handshake or a smile (or both) as he delivered his presents.