Despite the drizzle and the shivering cold, the crowd still waited hours outside the North Fillmore Police Storefront for his arrival.

And he finally came: jolly old Saint Nick, waving his arm outside the police car window, with a motorcycle in front and sirens blaring.

A cluster of children surrounded him as he got out of the car and hugged his legs and burly stomach.

"Ho, ho, ho," he chuckled, patting their heads with his white gloves. "I'm going to see all of you inside, I'm sure."

It was the storefront's 12th annual Christmas program, and workers handed out presents to dozens of families, some of whom could not afford to buy any. Among the offerings were toys, jackets and 65 turkeys, 25 of them with dinners.

"We have all kinds of presents for all kinds of children, young and old," said Fillmore Police Department's Sgt. Dave Wareham, who played Santa. "I think it's a wonderful gift to give to kids."

A slew of gifts filled the storefront, including a remote control car, a Scrabble board game, and the drawing toy "Doodle Doug — the scribbly crawly creepy crawly."

The storefront had at least 2,500 toys, said Community Resource Officer Max Pina.

Still outside, Danielle Dominguez had yet to get toys for her five children.

"I can't financially give my kids a Christmas, so anything helps," said Dominguez, 32, of Fillmore. "I'm very grateful. It's a wonderful thing to see people who care so much."

Dominguez ended up with a Polaroid picture of her children with Santa, and presents for them, including a little fire truck for her toddler.

Fillmore resident Patty Mendez stood near the end of the line with her 13-month-old daughter in a carriage.

She decided to come "mostly for Santa Claus" and to see her daughter happy.

"This is the first time she's going to see him," Mendez, 22, said.

The Christmas program has attracted crowds since it began in 1995, the same year the storefront opened.

In December 1971, one of Pina's friends wanted to suit up as Santa and to visit a sick girl. Pina, who worked for the Fillmore Police Department, drove his friend to visit the girl in his police car.

Bystanders loved seeing Santa in the patrol car, so for several years Pina passed out candy canes to Fillmore children with Santa. The practice stopped, but Pina brought it back when the storefront opened.

Organizations and individuals donate presents every year. From 1995 to 2006, nearly 9,600 people, including children and parents, have been served by the Christmas program.

Official numbers on Thursday's turnout were not available.

When Pina was young, he said, some of his Christmases were "pretty thin," and he wants to see other kids receive presents. "I like watching the kids' smiles," he said. "I like looking at the little sparkle in their eyes."