Photo courtesy of NYPD/Facebook.
The Chicago Police Department (CPD), New York Police Department (NYPD), and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) have been helping families through Thanksgiving by providing people in their communities with turkeys and other holiday trimmings.
This year has seen widespread civil unrest amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed over 1.4 million lives globally and left thousands more with damaged lungs or other crippling aftereffects. In 2020, COVID-19 may also become the leading cause of line of duty deaths within the ranks of police. Despite these circumstances, law enforcement officers have continued to report to work every day to enforce the law and serve their communities.
In the Bronx neighborhood of New York City, NYPD officers from the Rapid Response Team pulled over people who had committed minor traffic infractions, but instead of tickets, they handed the occupants a turkey, according to News 12 Brooklyn.
NYPD Chief Terence Monahan was seen handing out turkeys with fellow officers on Nov. 19 in preparation for the holidays. The NYPD posted on Facebook that its officers handed out over 1,000 turkeys throughout the five boroughs of NYC.
#Thanksgiving in 2020 looks a bit different for many people, but there is certainly one constant here in NYC. The men and women of the NYPD are helping to ensure that New Yorkers have everything they need to enjoy dinner. Proud to join fellow cops to deliver turkeys in Brooklyn! pic.twitter.com/AqHhqBXbbL
— Chief Terence Monahan (@NYPDChiefofDept) November 19, 2020
In Los Angeles, LASD Industrial Station teamed up with LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis on Friday for Operation Gobble Gobble, donating over 1,000 turkeys to members of the community.
This is servant leadership in action! Thank You Undersheriff @LASDMurakami , Captain Bobby Wyche and his incredibly hard working @INDLASD deputies…ALL volunteering their time to deliver turkeys to families in partnership with LA County 1st District Supervisor @HildaSolis. https://t.co/2yWfLVLVz1
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) November 21, 2020
LA Sheriff Alex Villanueva and East LA Station Capt. Richard Mejia joined Designated Exceptional Services for Independence (DESI), a nonprofit organization, to donate turkeys. The holiday birds were given to families predesignated by DESI.
Today, I along with East Los Angeles Station Captain Richard Mejia joined the D.E.S.I. (Designated Exceptional Services for Independence) Non-Profit Organization to pass out Thanksgiving turkeys to approx 60 families in attendance. https://t.co/BlobtFGRzm pic.twitter.com/0XqtKM63hL
— Alex Villanueva (@LACoSheriff) November 22, 2020
And in Chicago, law enforcement officers from CPD teamed up with the Philadelphia Church to hand out Thanksgiving meals to members of the community in need.
Big thank you to Philadelphia Church. We truly appreciate you allowing us to team up with you this weekend to give back to our community by handing out Thanksgiving meals to those in need. #community #GivingBack #CPD #partnership pic.twitter.com/ImlwhSTQBn
— Chicago PD 20th District – Lincoln (@ChicagoCAPS20) November 23, 2020
CPD, LASD, and NYPD did not return requests for further information at the time of publication.
Joshua Skovlund is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die. He covered the 75th anniversary of D-Day in France, multinational military exercises in Germany, and civil unrest during the 2020 riots in Minneapolis. Born and raised in small-town South Dakota, he grew up playing football and soccer before serving as a forward observer in the US Army. After leaving the service, he worked as a personal trainer while earning his paramedic license. After five years as in paramedicine, he transitioned to a career in multimedia journalism. Joshua is married with two children.
