‘Bless you, guys’
Officers, deputies transform into bearers of holiday cheer with 400 food baskets
Confusion flitted across Ardath Alvizo’s face as she slowly opened the doors of her home near Ming Avenue on Tuesday as a Bakersfield Police Department officer approached with two hefty cardboard boxes.
Wonder replaced Alvizo’s bewilderment as Officer Neida Mendoza explained she brought a turkey, potatoes, oranges, canned green beans, cranberries, onions and candy canes during an annual joint operation between the Bakersfield Police Department and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office that aims to give back.
Alvizo ushered Mendoza and Californian journalists inside to escape foggy, chilly conditions.
“Bless you, guys,” Alvizo said as she peered at the items in boxes.
Creating these relationships was central in Tuesday’s operation as hundreds of police officers and sheriff’s deputies traveled from metro Bakersfield to far-flung corners of Kern County such as Maricopa to spread good food and toys.
Law enforcement officers and deputies nominated families who financially needed assistance or a positive interaction from authorities, said KCSO spokeswoman Lori Meza. Maybe a child watched a cop arrest a parent — this event allows their perception of public safety agencies to change, she added.
“It’s … unexpected on the other side of the community,” explained BPD Detective Antonio Orozco while adding many have a “warm reception” as police arrive with boxes.
Meza noted this event — which started in 1984 — allows them to reach as many residents as possible. During the first year, 35 boxes were distributed.
This year, 400 boxes landed in homes. Police officers and deputies gathered amid drifting fog Tuesday morning to load their cars with boxes and distribute them.
Mendoza, a one-year BPD officer, said she nominated Alvizo after seeing she’s been coping with tough times since her husband passed away two years ago.
Alvizo explained she hasn’t cooked much since her husband died, and asked if Mendoza could bestow
the turkey upon someone else. The couple prepared meals together, so cooking prompts grief and tears.
But then a neighbor who was watching offered to roast the bird for her. Alvizo paused before answering.
“I have not truly cried since (my husband) David passed,” she said as her eyes became watery.
It seems police weren’t the only ones with holiday cheer to spread and relationships to create.