Nov. 16—The 22nd annual Law Enforcement Goodwill Project is selling tickets for BBQ dinners to raise money for local families and children as Christmas approaches.
Spearheaded and organized by local public service members, such as the local police and fire departments, Captain Tim Watkins of the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office said that they raise money to donate to local organizations that strategically aid local families in need.
“We raise money for families, mainly kids at Christmas time,” Watkins said. “We’ve been doing it for 20-plus years. We help cook the meals, sell the tickets, and then take that money to people that we identify that need it. We donate through Dfcs, the school systems, the city and county.”
Additionally, he said that they donate to Treehouse, a children’s advocacy center in Thomas County, and cooperate with these organizations to verify which families have already been given aid and which ones still need it.
“We try to verify the children, we try to not end up giving to a family twice,” Watkins said.
Each BBQ dinner is $8 and Watkins said that the usual goal for the project is to sell 1500 tickets, with tickets being available for purchase at the police department and sheriff’s office.
While all the money is given back to those in need in Thomas County, Watkins said that they often put a portion of the proceeds away for emergencies that occur later on in the year.
“All the money is given away,” he said. “And then, we’ll save some, usually a couple thousand dollars, just in case something happens in the middle of the year.”
Watkins said that he remembered such an occasion a couple years back, the money they’d put away being used to pay for the funeral expenses for a young child that had died in Boston.
“We try to have some money put to the side, so we can help those families also, but it’s all given back 100%,” he said.
With the community’s support, Watkins said that everyone involved in public safety in the area comes out to help, with local volunteers helping cook and doing good for the community.
“It’s all public safety,” he said. “Everyone tries to help, everybody helps. It’s a great day, it’s a fun day.”
Those who buy tickets can come to pick up their BBQ dinner plate on November 17 at 921 Smith Avenue, at the Justice Center, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
“We really thank the community for their support, we couldn’t do it without the community support,” Watkins said. “And they really support us, you know, doing this, and we’re just grateful. I mean, it’s just, it tells you what kind of community we live in. We are grateful and thankful that they help us every year.”