Swift Transportation, Sumpter Police team up to distribute food

On Sept. 27, Channel 4 Television News broadcast the story of Swift Transportation of Huron Township and Sumpter Township Police, who have been working over the summer to put food on the tables of those in need.
It all started earlier this summer when Denise Adkins, Swift Community Services Director, contacted Sumpter Police to ask if it could enter into a partnership with Swift and Swift Charities to help distribute packaged food and other items that end up in damaged cases that cannot be delivered. Otherwise, the good items in damaged cases would have to be trashed.
Sumpter Police agreed and throughout the summer, a Swift semi truck would drive into the police parking area and crushed and torn boxes of perfectly good food was unloaded.
Sumpter Officer Beth Egerer showed the television crew how she picked through the damaged boxes to pull out items, which she then would put into packages, bags, and boxes to help put food on the tables of the community.
“There are no ulterior motives,” Officer Egerer told Channel 4.
On the police department’s Facebook page, Police Chief Eric Luke explained the project on Sept. 14:
“Using numerous donated items from Swift over the past several months, the police department has been able to provide bulk food and supplies to families in need.
“We’ve also been able to strengthen and increase the already numerous positive interactions between police department members and the individuals we come into contact with from day-to-day. This has been made possible in the form of ‘goodie bags’ that patrol officers carry with them in the trunks of their patrol units and those distributed by our tremendous administrative team to individuals coming into the station seeking police services.
“Furthermore, we’ve been fortunate to be able to provide items to those attending the Park & Rec’s Sumpter Fun Day and the Sumpter Progressive Civil League’s recent Back to School Fun Day.
“In addition to providing items to citizens through direct contact with our officers and staff, we’ve also been able to bring in other entities within the township, such as the Sumpter Township Senior Center, Focus Hope, and the local WIC office. Their ability to reach even more of the community has benefited everyone involved and we thank them for their participation.
“Again, we would like to give our sincere, heartfelt ‘thank you’ to Denise Adkins for reaching out to us on behalf of Swift Transportation. Their continued generosity and support has and will continue to allow us to give back to the community in this way,” Chief Luke concluded.
At a recent township board meeting, Chief Luke was asked about the Channel 4 truck seen at the police department earlier that day.
Chief Luke told about the project with Swift Transportation led by Lt. Pat Gannon, Officer Egerer, and others.
He said officers carry the goodie bags in the police car trunks to give to anyone.
“Last week, there was a whole shipment of Zip Lock bags,” Chief Luke said, noting that by not having to buy such storage bags, a family would have more money for food.
Chief Luke said the police department didn’t want the information to come out about what they were doing before the millage election in August, “as if we were using it for that.”
After the millages passed, they felt free to talk about the Swift project, he said.