NORFOLK, Va. — Over 100 of Norfolk's community members got a very special delivery just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.
"Let's go out there and let's put some smiles on people's faces!" exclaimed Norfolk Sheriff Joe Baron on Tuesday morning as he and his team stuffed over 100 fresh turkeys into the trunks of their deputy vehicles.
Ready to then be individually dropped off by his deputies, Sheriff Baron says Tuesday's turkey donations are about showing community members that his office is there to offer support in times of need.
"It's all about trust," said Baron. "If we can develop those relationships by showing we're here to help to make a difference then the community is more [likely] to talk to us or people that look like us, like the police department. And maybe in some way that will engage the community more to talk about what they're concerned about and what their needs are."
But Sheriff Baron didn't just stop at turkeys, he says you can't have Thanksgiving dinner without the side dishes, too.
"There are the sides too like green beans and stuffing," continued Baron. "We're here to help, we're here to make a difference."
After all of the vehicles are loaded, deputies like Karim Waheed begin making their rounds, dropping off bags of food to community members in need. Officer Waheed works closely with NSO's Senior Watch Program, and the first delivery on his list was to Modell Lewis. Lewis is 81 years old and is currently raising two of her great-grandkids.
"Thank y'all so much!" said Lewis as soon as she saw Officer Waheed walk through the door holding a turkey. "Y'all take care of your seniors and I love it."
This is the third year Lewis has been given a turkey from NSO and says this donation makes her holiday season possible.
"It means a lot, it means a lot, especially this time of the year when you're on a fixed income," she said.
And Officer Waheed didn't stop there. Next, he visited Stewart Schmid and his mother Arlene. Arlene has received turkey from NSO for seven years.
"Thanksgiving used to be a big deal when I was at home and my husband was alive," she explained. "We would make salads. We'd invite the Navy [Sailors] over who didn't have a meal."
But shortly after Arlene saw Officer Waheed enter her apartment with a bag full of green beans and mashed potato mix, she yelled, "That's my guy!" in gratitude.
Moments like those, Officer Waheed says, mean more to him than community members probably realize.
"We build relationships [with them] throughout the year," he explained. "And then it's an even greater impact bringing a smile to their face during the holidays."
The 100 turkeys for this donation were sponsored by the Sheriff Joseph P. Baron Foundation, Summit Foods, Wegmans, Little Lily Ministries, Thomas Mayhew, and the Norfolk Sheriff's Office.
