Hungry? Polk Sheriff Grady Judd Talks Turkey

POLK COUNTY, FL -- Polk County residents facing tough times will celebrate Thanksgiving with a turkey dinner, thanks to the Polk Sheriff's Charities.

The nonprofit charitable organization will give away free turkeys on Saturday, Nov. 17 at three locations.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, the Polk Sheriff's Charities board decided to contribute turkeys to families who may be finding it difficult to put a meal together for the holiday.

"This is our way of saying 'thank you' to Polk County citizens for their support of our deputies," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. "In some communities around the country, you can find tension and mistrust between law enforcement and residents. Not here. We work hard with our communities to keep our neighborhoods, families and children safe, and we get so much support from so many people. Building relationships and connections in our neighborhoods is what we are all about. We literally could not have the success in fighting crime that we have without our communities' support."

Judd said this is one thing the sheriff's office can do to support struggling families during the holiday season.

"We know that there are families out there who are struggling financially and we want to do our small part to help out this Thanksgiving," said Judd.

The turkeys will be distributed one per family, one per vehicle on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. No identification or prequalification will be required to receive a turkey.

"We trust that folks will do the right thing," Judd said.

Deputies will be at each location to hand out the birds, which are in the 15= to 17-pound range. Up to 1,300 turkeys will be given away.

"If we have any turkeys left over, Polk Sheriff's Charities will donate them to the jail to help them serve turkey to the inmates," said Bunky Hill, chairman of Polk Sheriff's Charities. "But I have a feeling we may run out on Saturday. We have a lot of turkeys, but we also have a lot of need in Polk County -- not just folks down on their luck, but we also have working families that could just use a boost for the holiday."

The locations and times where the turkeys will be distributed are:

East Polk: 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the Church on the Hill, 1111 Scenic Highway, Dundee

Central Polk: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Champions Church, 1801 Havendale Blvd. N.W, Winter Haven

West Polk: 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Victory Church, 1401 Griffin Road, Lakeland

Polk Sheriff's Charities Inc. was founded in December 2006 and is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit charitable organization. Although the idea for the charity had been discussed for some time, it became official following the murder of Deputy Matt Williams and K-9 DiOGi after a routine traffic stop.

The community's outpouring of emotional and monetary support after that tragic event ultimately demonstrated how a charity like PSCI would be supported.

To date, the charity has provided monetary support to Polk County Sheriff's Office members who are facing significant unexpected negative events in their lives, scholarships for law enforcement family members and other deserving Polk County students, and the Polk County Sheriff's Office law enforcement memorial.

The charity also supports needs that the law enforcement community has identified, such as purchasing Christmas gifts for children in Polk County's most economically challenged neighborhoods, supporting organizations dedicated to assisting victims of crime and domestic violence, supporting local charities who positively impact crime and quality-of-life issues in communities the sheriff's office serves, and supporting the agency's K9 unit

Polk Sheriff's Charities Inc. presents two annual fundraisers that help support its charitable work: the annual "Bustin' Clays With Sheriff Grady Judd" event at Tenoroc Sporting Clays in Lakeland and the annual "Jeepin' With Judd" event at Clear Springs Ranch near Bartow.

Those wishing to support either or both events, or to make a contribution to Polk Sheriff's Charities are encouraged to click here or call 863-298-6604.

Image via Polk Sheriff

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