Other Community Events and Drives – Food, clothing, toys, and more

Yale Public Safety teamed with many groups throughout the fall on several different community events; here is a wrap-up of those happenings.

Donations benefiting Afghan families

Yale Public safety partnered with Yale’s Affinity Groups, Yale Library Staff Association, and more for a donation drive to benefit Afghan families served by Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS). Warm clothing, diapers, and toiletries were collected and delivered to IRIS, who will distribute them to local families in need.

Sixth annual Turkey Drive a success

The Yale Police Department (YPD) held its sixth annual Turkey Drive on Friday, November 19. This successful event, spearheaded by Sergeant Martha Ross-Cedeno, provided turkeys and dinners for local families. Volunteers helped fundraise money and collect donations that included over 1,200 turkeys with all the trimmings—cranberry sauce, gravy, yams, pies, and more. Thanks to everyone’s kindness and generosity, approximately 9,000 people were able to have a Thanksgiving meal.

Thanks to a small but determined group of volunteers from Yale Public Safety, and the Yale and New Haven communities, all the holiday meals were safely distributed. Families were able to pick up turkeys at the Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy in New Haven. An additional 250 meal packages were delivered directly to families in need by first responders and volunteers.

“I’d like to give a huge shout out to Sergeant Chris Halstead and Officer Daniel Cavanaugh, who loaded and unloaded hundreds of turkeys and also assisted in delivering food packages to elderly and disabled families in the community,” said Sergeant Ross-Cedeno.

Halloween fun and giving

In October, the YPD participated in a Halloween Trunk or Treat partnering with the Boys and Girls Club of New Haven. This event was held at Edgewood Park in New Haven, and included a haunted road. Also, as is a tradition, all YPD officers handed out candy to children in their respective beats on Halloween.