Benevolent baskets: Alton police deliver community cheer through food

ALTON - Officers of the Police Benevolent and Protective Association (PBPA) Unit 14 delivered as many as 60 baskets of food to families across the community on Saturday, Dec. 10. 

Members of the association, which includes full time sworn and retired officers of the Alton Police Department, and their families gathered at the Alton Shop N Save before 8 a.m. Saturday morning to collect the baskets in their vehicles. Each basket contained approximately $60 in food and included a ham, loaf of bread, bag of fruit, butter, canned goods and boxed supplies. It was enough for a large family dinner, according to a release from the PBPA. 

The list of families chosen was provided to the police by the Alton Township Supervisor's office and the Alton Branch of Catholic Charities. 

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"Police officers serve the public everyday and not everyone gets to experience that first hand," PBPA Unit 14 President Andrew Pierson said in an email Monday. "This is always a positive experience for the families that we are delivering food to. Our members (officers), who volunteer their time, enjoy this time of year because we are able to have that positive impact on some of the families in our community; whether that is through these food baskets, or getting to take their child shopping during the Shop With a Cop event." 

Besides the food delivery and Shop with a Cop, the PBPA Unit 14 also holds the annual Policeman's Ball in the spring, which raises money for the Alton Police Youth Camp, Shop with a Cop, food deliveries, area youth events and other charitable giving throughout the year. 

Contributions to the Alton Police Youth Camp can be sent via mail to Alton Police Youth Camp PO Box 861 Alton, Illinois 62002. The PBPA Alton Unit 14 is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. 

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