BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office are providing turkey and food boxes for families in need as they prepare to gather to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Sheriff Mark Pettway began partnering with Kikstart back in 2020 after seeing that there was a need to provide families with meals who were adjusting to a new normal of virtual learning at home during COVID. Pettway said this is just another effort to connect with citizens and bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community.

“This helps us bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community,” Pettway said in a statement. “Assessing the community and building that trust. They can see us out there helping them and makes them believer that they can talk to us give us information to help us to prevent things from happening. And that is what we want to do. We want to let them know that we are partnering with community.”