Perry Police Department will be hosting a “Stuff the Cruiser” event next Saturday on December 5 at the Perry Walmart on Saint Patricks Drive starting at 8:00 a.m. They welcome any and all who would like to come out and donate. All proceeds will be going to Perry Volunteer Outreach (PVO) to help families in need during the holiday season.
Officer Brenna Banks has been heading up this year’s event. “This is something that Sgt. Jeff Keenom [did] with the police department,” she said. “We’ve been doing it consecutively for the past few years now. He actually retired recently, and he kind of passed the torch to me. This is something that we try to do at least twice a year.”
With the food banks starting to run low during the holidays, Banks wanted to make sure that they could help out by hosting the donation. “We’re just kind of wanting to give back to our community programs.”
In previous years, the “Stuff the Cruiser” event would feature several different vendors and activities for the public as they brought donations. People could come and enjoy a snow cone company, a dunking booth, the fire department’s appearance; even things like a child seat checks. However, this year has posed challenges in doing something some of these things. Wanting to keep the community as safe as possible, and with the threat of COVID, they’re taking several precautions and will focus the event to be just donation based instead of making things interactive for the attendees.
“We’ll be out there wearing our masks and social distancing with the community while still trying to help out as much as we can,” assured Banks. “With COVID going on, we’re just trying to get the word out with as minimal of interaction [as possible] to keep those people safe.”
Hoping to keep the tradition going and making sure that the Perry Police Department is still focused on giving back to the community, Banks understands the true impact of the charity event. “If it helps one family put food on the table for the holidays, or just food in general, I’d be happy,” Banks expressed. “That’s just our main goal—to really help the community and help people that are even just passing through our community. If it impacts just one life, one family, one person, I’d be happy with that.”
Knowing how difficult this season will be for many people, and understanding that this is a tough time for people to donate food or money, Officer Banks desires to just get the word out there. “I understand that things have been so tight during all this pandemic, so anything that anybody could donate, even if it’s just their time and appreciation or a way to volunteer with PVO or Loaves and Fishes in the future, will be greatly appreciated.”
They will be accepting any non-perishable foods, preferably canned foods, and any monetary donations will be dispersed between PVO, a large non-profit charity serving those in south Houston County, and Loaves and Fishes, a faith-based ministry focused on “offering a hand up, not a hand out” to Middle Georgia individuals and families, according to their official website.
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