COLUMBUS – Columbus police officers will deliver Thanksgiving dinners to 150 families in the South Linden neighborhood Wednesday in the first-ever “Cops and Gobblers.”
While patrolling the neighborhood, officers Joshua Bell and Mike Daymut realized that many people would not have Thanksgiving if they didn’t do something to help so they took their idea to Starfish Assignment, a non-profit that works to provide resources and funding for officers to perform charity projects in the community.
“There are people in need. We see that in real time. If we have the ability to fix that or aid in that, we are going to be there,” said Officer Pete Casuccio, executive vice-president of Starfish Assignment.
The group is using $2,400 in donations from Kemba Financial Credit Union and will purchase food at cost from the WalMart on Morse Road.
They will take the 150 frozen turkeys and 150 sides – including stuffing, cranberry sauce, instant potatoes, gravy mix, corn, green beans, and cornbread mix — and take them to Douglas Community Center, 1250 Windsor Avenue, where an outdoor assembly line of officers and Starfish volunteers will fill bags for easy transport.
Officers will go door-to-door a the Rosewind Apartments on Brooks Avenue, delivering a meal to each family.