AGAWAM — The Agawam Police Association once again is inviting the public to help “Stuff” the Cruiser as its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive returns on Saturday, Nov. 23, and Sunday, Nov. 24.
Taking place at the Geissler’s Supermarket parking lot, the two-day event starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. both days.
Agawam Police Sgt. Chris Soto is a member of the association organizing the event and said the event fills a big need in the community.
“The food stays here in Agawam and the donations stay between here and West Springfield,” Soto explained.
The fundraiser is a collaboration between the police and community to collect food donations that are donated to the Bethany Assembly of God. Monetary donations are split between the Assembly and the Parish Cupboard in West Springfield.
Soto said the drive typically fills up more than a single cruiser and brings a sense of holiday spirit to the community.
“We deploy a considerable amount of food. Geissler’s does a phenomenal job helping us. They actually store the frozen turkeys that get donated to us in their freezers until we pick it up and drop all the food off that following morning,” Soto said.
Soto encouraged residents to come by during the two days and drop off food items to be donated.
Soto said the event would not be possible without the support of the many volunteers who offer their help in running the food drive.
“Even though the events from the police, it’s all volunteer. Everyone’s down there doing this on their own time,” Soto said.
He added the volunteer support is an example of the community coming together during the holiday season for one another.
The fundraiser is a yearly reminder for Soto and the team putting on the event of the importance of giving back, especially during the holiday season.
“It means a lot to us. Anybody I bump into we talk about it. It’s a great time with people up in spirits and the public thanks us for making it easy to donate something good for the holiday,” Soto said. “It’s a lot of good conversation to pick your spirits up with everybody putting in some work for the holidays.”
