State police host ‘Stuff a Cruiser’ events

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The Rhode Island State Police staged a rather unique stakeout last Friday afternoon and two locations.

For some four hours – from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., to be precise – the state police has a cruiser at two Stop & Shop locations, one at 11 Commerce Way in Johnston and the other at 200 Atwood Ave. in Cranston.

It was all part of the “Stuff a Cruiser” food drive to help those in need this Thanksgiving.

And during that four-hour sweep, each location locked up 100 bags of food, which Maj. James Manni said “generated 700 pounds of non-perishable food.”

Needless to say, that pleased Manni and Col. Steven G. O’Donnell, superintendent of the state police.

“It’s all part of our Community Outreach Program,” Manni noted Tuesday morning. “And that’s a huge program with the state police. The food collected will be donated to needy people in three of the groups we support.”

Manni, who explained that the Community Outreach Program supports a total of 10 different groups, went on: “The stories during the collection were endless, but one really stands out.”

As it happened, one lady saw the “Stuff a Cruiser” event going on and called the state police.

“She made a request,” Manni went on, “asking us if we could give her some food for Thanksgiving. She emphasized she really needed help.”

Thus, a uniformed trooper – just like Trooper Michael Goduto, who was on duty at “Stuff a Cruiser” in Johnston, and his counterpart Thomas Coulombe, who manned the Stop & Shop Cranston location – delivered a turkey along with all the trimmings directly to her home.

More impressively, perhaps, was that the 700 pounds of food collected during “Stuff a Cruiser” will be delivered to the homes of each and every family in the three groups that the Community Outreach Program services by uniformed troopers.

Although “Stuff a Cruiser” was the first-ever Thanksgiving program, the state police have made Christmas merry for people in years past.

“Community outreach is huge with the state police,” Manni emphasized. “Last year we had ‘Stuff a Cruiser’ with Christmas presents, and we’re doing it again this year – on Dec. 13 – at the Ocean State Job Lot in Johnston and North Kingstown. We encourage people to stop by between the hours of 1 and 5 p.m. and donate a present or presents.”

Manni noted that the state police’s largest outreach effort has been the “Kids, Cops and Christmas” program, which is entering its sixth year.

“Last year we collected 1,700 presents and $7,500 in gift cards,” Manni said. “And we donated all the proceeds to over 1,000 needy children.”

This year’s event will take place at 2 p.m. Dec. 17 at the State House.

Yet another highly successful program is the “Kids, Cops and Classrooms” effort held every year in September. This year, it resulted in the state police donating backpacks to 1,000 kids.

Manni said the “Kids, Cops and Christmas” event is sponsored by CVS, Walgreens, Ocean State Job Lot and Benny’s. Anyone who’d like to make a donation is encouraged to do, but prior to Dec. 17.

“People can also donate to the program just by bringing Christmas gifts to any state police barracks,” Manni said.

For more information about the State Police Outreach Program or to make a donation, please call 444-1000.

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