Photo Courtesy of the Perry Police Department

The Perry Police Department spread joy to local families through a new initiative this week.

The department donated 25 holiday meals to Perry families on Tuesday, just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. Sgt. Alex Lott says the initiative came about through generous donations from the community at a recent free-will breakfast sponsored by the police department.

“Perry has been through some tough times the past few years and especially the PD and we wanted to return the favor to the community and just give back.” 

Each of the meals included ingredients for a full Thanksgiving meal, including a turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, pie and more. Lott adds that the Perry Fareway store helped assemble the meals. 

He hopes the department can continue the Holiday Meals for Families Initiative next year around Thanksgiving.

“With the success that we had with it and just seeing, honestly the joy it brought to everybody, it was something that we really want to continue.”

The Perry Police Department will continue giving back through the annual Shop with a Cop program in December. Children selected for the program get the chance to purchase gifts for their families alongside members of the police department. The children also go home with food baskets to use for the Christmas holiday.