LAURENS COUNTY, Ga. — One Laurens County deputy gave out 53 hams to local families this holiday season.
When Tyler Jackson isn't in uniform, he's helping people in another way.
"My wife and I have been wanting to do a lot of stuff in the community and it was getting close to the end of this year. We was sitting on the couch watching television and we was like, what's something we could do in the community, and she was like 'Well! Let's do a ham drive!" Jackson said.
They bought three hams, and made a post on their Facebook page asking people to comment a number for them to draw a winner.
"It started out with 3 and we ended up with 35. Once we distributed all 35 hams, a friend of mine called me and said 'hey, how many people who didn't get hams?' We said a total of 16 people. He said I would like to donate to that cause and let's bless them also with a ham," he said.
With a little help from his friends, Jackson was able to give 53 families a gift card for one ham each.
"Everybody came and got their card and we got to hear their story, and it made the event worth more than what we were doing, and it let us know that, hey, we're not just blessing a family, we're creating a friendship," Jackson said.
Each gift card covered the cost for a $17 ham. Jackson met the families for pick up outside of Zion Hope Baptist Church.
"We just want to gratitude to everybody, instill hope in the community. Not only with my law enforcement experience, just to show you that we care, and anything you need, we would love to help," Jackson said.
Jackson plans to continue the ham giveaway every year. He was born and raised in Laurens County and has worked with the Sheriff's Office for 14 years.