Fulton sheriff offers Thanksgiving dinner with a side of community building
Last month, Fulton County sheriff’s deputies swarmed a discount mall on Old National Highway and confiscated all manner of counterfeit designer goods, the largest seizure of its kind in the agency’s history.
On Monday afternoon, deputies returned to the discount mall on a different kind of mission. Sheriff Pat Labat hoped to distribute anywhere between 400 and 600 turkeys to families in need of help this Thanksgiving.
“To rebuild trust in that community, specifically we wanted to go right to that parking lot and show the community we are there for good,” Labat said.
The birds were donated by sheriff’s office staff and other community partners, including Kroger and a few local bail bonding companies. Monday’s giveaway was one of two the agency participated in this season, following a Thanksgiving meal giveaway Nov. 12 at Welcome All Park in partnership with the city of South Fulton. That event served between 800 and 1,000 families, the sheriff estimated.
The efforts were intended to address the immediate need of food insecurity in Fulton County, but Labat said they have the added benefit of aiding in the sheriff’s office mission. Crime fighting and community building often go hand in hand, he said.
“We want to close the gap of this new generation where people don’t feel they trust law enforcement, so what better time to do it?” he said. “It’s the giving season. We want to make sure we are doing our part.”
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