Police, faith groups team up
Events include coat drive, meet and greet
The Oklahoma City Police Department will partner with local faith communities for the 2021 Faith & Blue Weekend.
Several activities will be held Friday through Monday, while a coat drive for Positive Tomorrows’ students will run through Oct. 29.
The Oklahoma City Police Department participated in the initiative in 2020.
The local efforts are being held in conjunction with National Faith & Blue Weekend, which is an extension of the One Congregation One Precinct initiative (OneCOP). Other Oklahoma communities participating in the national initiative include Tulsa and Muskogee.
Local activities for 2021 will include a “Helping Hands” Habitat for Humanity build on Friday, with police and local
faith community members working together to build a new home for a metro-area family. Members of the faith community will team with police again to create food bags for children in need as part of “Faith and Fellowship with the Food Bank” on Monday at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
Police Capt. Valerie Littlejohn said both of those events are closed to the public, but the general public is invited to join in other activities.
These include “Better Together” set for 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Brookwood Baptist Church, 8921 S Walker. Police will be on hand to visit with members of the community and to show various police equipment. Refreshments will be served.
A coat drive called “Warming Hearts” will benefit homeless children attending Positive Tomorrows School for the Homeless. New and used coats in all youth sizes will be accepted for donation.
Donation boxes have been placed at several locations throughout the city, including each of the department’s four divisions, the police department’s headquarters at 700 Colcord, several fire stations and four churches, including: Covenant Community Church, 2250 S Yukon Parkway; Shartel Church of God, 11600 S Western; St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 222 NW 16; and Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4400 N Shartel.
Last year’s Faith & Blue activities included a forum featuring religious leaders at St. James Catholic Church and police, a Habitat for Humanity home building project, and a virtual town hall coordinated by the OK Justice Circle and the police department. Brookwood Baptist also hosted a barbecue aimed at bringing the community together with police officers after the church’s Sunday worship service.