Today, however, the tradition took a holiday twist as Jennifer Harris, her son Dallas and her niece Bailey greeted the Roanoke Rapids sanitation crew with gifts of Christmas candy.
“They get excited when they see the big trucks,” said Harris this morning as they waited for Jones and her crew to stop by. “It’s the little things, them pulling up, tooting the horn for the kids.”
Harris reached out via social media to state the pleasure the weekly rounds give the children she keeps under her watch and to find out the names of the employees. “I didn’t know it was going to blow up like that,” she said of the many positive comments she received from the post.
Harris said the children get so excited when they hear the truck approaching. Jones blows the horn once as it approaches, waves and then blasts it again after the trash is collected.
“It’s funny,” said Dallas, 3, as he and Bailey, who will turn 2 in February, waited for the truck to arrive.

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Harris saw today as an opportunity to do something nice for the crew. “I wanted them to know how much they are appreciated.”
Bailey and Dallas were not disappointed as the truck approached their neighborhood on Williams Street, the blast of the horn and the greeting from Jones, who wore a Santa hat and Christmas sweater.
Bailey waved enthusiastically as the truck neared and stopped.
After Jovantae Byrd and Logan Smith finished dumping the trash into the back of the truck, they and Jones came over to greet Harris, Dallas and Bailey.
“It means a lot,” Jones said. “It’s so exciting. I love the kids and love to see them.”
While job one, Byrd said, is “keeping the city clean and looking out for everybody,” the gesture was appreciated. “It shows you that it’s more than picking up trash.”
For Smith, the gift was also appreciated. “It’s just about helping out. The kids really enjoy this. It makes you feel good about yourself.”
Jones, who has worked the job for 16 years, has seen many of the children she blows the horn at and waves to grow up. “It means a lot.”
Public Works Director Larry Chalker said he is appreciative of the sanitation crew. “Our people are not just trash people, they do a wonderful job every day, not just at Christmas. They are very valuable employees. They have a tough job.”