TULSA, Okla. — A different kind of house call being made by Tulsa Police this week. Officers packing their squad cars with boxes full of supplies for people in need.
"When we see this opportunity and the need out in our community, and we're able to actually deliver that, it's such a great connection between our officers and the members of our community," Tulsa Police Deputy Chief Mark Wollmershauser said.
WATCH: 'It's extremely rewarding': TPD begins Random Acts of Kindness initiative
The department, along with the TPD Foundation, kicking off their Random Acts of Kindness initiative. Officers like Ashley Kirby, handing out the boxes stuffed with food and much more, right in the area she works.
"The holidays are always tough for everybody," Kirby said. "So to be able to kind of alleviate some of that struggle from these families is extremely rewarding."
Each division has 100 boxes to give away to the community. The downtown division has 50. And they come with things like snacks and ingredients to make dishes of your own. Other items include diapers and gift cards for gas and groceries. Last year, the department handed out 150 boxes. This year, that number jumped to 350.
"Seeing the smiles from the kids, seeing the relief from parents that this might help them feed their children, it just further creates that bond with the community that we look for," Wollmershauser said.
Giving the people they serve a chance to see their officers in a different way, when the community needs it most.
"This is definitely a part of the job that we look forward to," Kirby said. "To finally be able to go to something and smile, and talk to someone and not have bad news, and instead we have really good news to give them that they're probably going to keep thinking about. So it's extremely rewarding as an officer."
If you'd like to help the department in their initiative, you can donate to the TPD Foundation HERE.
You can designate your donation to the Random Acts of Kindness.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- 2 News Oklahoma on your schedule | Download on your TV, watch for free. How to watch on your streaming device
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Watch LIVE 24/7 on YouTube
