FORT VALLEY, Ga. — A common police motto is to protect and serve.
Tuesday, the Fort Valley Police Department took the saying literally by serving up turkeys to residents in a Thanksgiving giveaway.
Distribution began at 10 a.m. and were handed out until supplies ran out. The event brought out new faces and familiar ones.
Brenda Fitzgerald, 73, stopped by the drive-thru event to receive a free turkey. She says her family will fry it for their holiday dinner.
"My Thanksgiving plans [are to] be socialized with my family, my daughter's grandchildren, grands, all of them and after that, Friday football game," Fitzgerald said.
She says she was born and raised in Fort Valley so she appreciates local law enforcement making an effort to interact with folks outside of their normal responsibilities.
"It makes me feel great and safe," she said.
Fort Valley Police Chief DJ Flores said his department wants to be apart of the community, not above it, adding this time of year that means keeping people safe and fed.
"We enriched the lives of at least 300 people and we are so thankful for that and we're blessed to work together and for everybody that's involved in this project to just give back to our community," Flores said.
He says events like their annual turkey giveaway and their day to day interactions with people are all about serving up trust.
"We're building these relationships with the community [so] that they can continue to trust the police department and they can continue to come to us and feel safe and talk with us, trust us and believe in us," Flores said.
Fitzgerald said she recognizes their efforts and feels grateful.
"They are willing to help us and they're sharing," Fitzgerald said. "That's awesome."
Flores says his department is planning a give-back during the Christmas holiday --to provide families in need with gifts for their children.