Newport Beach resident Dotty MacDonald, 95, is on an annual mission to collect donations on behalf of the Newport Beach Police Department so she can purchase gift cards from local quick-service restaurants to hand out to members of the police force.
On Wednesday, July 31, Dotty presented the Newport Beach Police Department with a large symbolic check for $40,000, the amount she raised from neighbors and friends this year to purchase gift cards from Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizza, In-N-Out, Chick-Fil-A and Chipotle.
“Dotty is the angel of the Newport Beach Police Department” said her friend Kimberly Fleer. “Each year, Dotty dedicates her time to raising money to support ‘her cops’ and providing them with gift certificates to various food outlets to use while on patrol.”
Fleer noted that Dotty is remarkable woman in the Newport Beach community and is well known at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club where she still volunteers on the race committee during regattas.
When asked her thoughts on raising $40,000 from community members for gift cards, Dotty – a former volunteer with the Newport Beach Police Department – replied “All of these people in Newport Beach support the police department and that’s the best part.”