Greetings!
During the month of November and December, the Community Outreach and Resource Education team (CORE) has been, and will continue to be very busy. Below is a list and summary of activities to date; and some of the upcoming events....
MPD Cares
On Monday November 20th, Madison Police officers delivered over 100 Thanksgiving baskets to families in the metro area. "MPD Cares" kicked off in 2020, and is a partnership between Tim Metcalfe (Metcalfe's grocery store generously donates the turkeys and other Thanksgiving staples!), non-profit Madison Community Policing Foundation (whose funds paid for items to round out a holiday meal, including fresh commodities like milk and rolls), and City Engineering, who expertly move pallets of canned goods and turkeys to Midtown station for basket assembly.
MPD Outreach officers, neighborhood officers, the Community-Police Advisory Boards, and Amigos en Azul were part of this big, holiday effort.
River Food Pantry
On Wednesday November 22nd, 8 police officers from MPD's Black Officer Coalition (BOC) volunteered to work a shift at the River Food Pantry. Officers worked curbside pantry, handing out groceries as well as prepared Thanksgiving meals. Officer Lu Senatus said "I gave out a lot of pies today!" at the curbside.
iHeartRadio Toy Drive
Madison Police Officers will join Dane County law enforcement at Blain's Farm and Fleet the week of November 29th and 30th, accepting donations from customers toward the annual toy drive and then shopping for families in need! This extraordinary collaboration involves iHeartRadio, Blain's, and officers from across Madison's many neighborhoods.
Shop With a Cop
On Sunday December 3rd, 18 youth and 19 police officers are going shopping at Target East as part of the annual "Shop with a Cop" tradition. MPD Outreach and a long-time MPD detective coordinate this festive day, which weaves together youth who could benefit from some extra holiday cheer, and big-hearted officers who deliver that cheer.
All my best,
Capt. Shannon Blackamore