Two years ago, Hammond cops escorted Sammy Gonzalez to an Indy children’s hospital
“I can do it,” she told Hammond police Detective Lt. Mark Tharp.
She could have been home watching cartoons on this dreary Saturday morning. Instead, Sammy and her little sister, Amelia Barr, helped deliver a week’s worth of food items to struggling families as part of the annual Christmas Food Basket program.
They joined police officers from Hammond Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 51 who again collected and delivered dozens of boxes filled with food items to 85 families across the city. The officers, two girls, and other volunteers converged Saturday at the Jean Shepherd Community Center, where I began shadowing their efforts.
The massive building served as a staging area for transport vehicles, tables filled with boxes of foods and drinks, and a detailed bulletin board of families’ names, addresses and locations. Officers and volunteers hustled back and forth from inside the center to vehicles backed up to its bay doors.
“This program is important to us,” said the two girls’ mother, Diana Barr, of East Chicago. “Sammy will never forget the officers who drove her to Indianapolis when she was sick.”
Two years ago, several Hammond police officers surprised Sammy by escorting her, in three squad cars, to a children’s hospital in Indianapolis for chemotherapy treatment. The idea came from FOP lodge president, Detective Cpl. Mike Elkmann, when he learned the girl was diagnosed with eye cancer, losing one of her eyes during her battle.
“Sammy has become the adopted child of FOP 51,” Tharp said.
Her mother said, “We love to help so that’s what we’ve been doing for the past three years.”
Barr and her daughters drove with Tharp and his wife, Keri Tharp, to make deliveries to several families, back and forth from the community center to recipients’ homes.
“Merry Christmas!” the girls told strangers as the officers carried large boxes of food onto front porches and inside apartment complex vestibules.
If you’re having a difficult time feeling the Christmas spirit this year, for obvious reasons, I urge you to watch a video of the girls and officers delivering these meals while
There’s no better way to hear the seasonal cheer “Merry Christmas!” than from two young girls who believe Santa is truly coming to their town on Friday morning.
“Merry Christmas to
At another recipient’s home near the state line, the girls joined Hammond police officer Sgt. Marcus May and his girlfriend, Amanda King, a Hammond schoolteacher.
“Honey, put the bag right here by their door,” King told Sammy.
Tharp and May first knocked on the door to make sure the family was home.
“We want to wish you a merry Christmas,” Tharp told one woman.
“Thank you so much,” replied a female voice from behind the door.
“You’re very welcome, ma’am,” replied May, the FOP lodge’s sergeant-at-arms.
The cops didn’t wear police uniforms. Only masks, badges and Santa hats. They didn’t complain. They didn’t call attention to themselves. They followed all pandemic-related restrictions and precautions throughout the delivery process.
“We had a lot of concerns. But we are determined to get this done,” said Tharp, the FOP lodge’s vice president. “We are going to do what we always do — suck it up and get it done.”
After a tumultuous year for police officers caught in the crosshairs of public scrutiny, I wanted to capture these officers on a different kind of surveillance recording. They illustrated in a heartwarming way how police routinely “serve and protect” the public.
“This sort of thing is what police officers do when they’re not arresting people and starring on the six o’clock news in a negative light,” one police detective said before leaving on a meal delivery.
The cops began that day at a local Strack & Van Til grocery store, picking up more food items, canned goods, gallons of milk and other perishables. Then they assembled the boxes and numbered each one for every family. The masterminds behind this program were FOP Lodge 51 Trustee Chris Gootee and his wife, Marie Gootee. The couple coordinated the recipients, delivery schedule and food purchasing.
The annual program has been in operation for about 20 years. All donations, fundraising and labor is done by the lodge members, their families and friends. Hopefully, their program will now be able to raise more funds for next year’s deliveries.
Recipients each year are referred by teachers and staff from Hammond public schools and other social service agencies, as well as from their own officers who come in contact with people in need while on calls for police services.
One mother came to her front door with a young son who helped officers load the meal boxes onto the family’s porch.
During the exchange, Tharp’s wife whispered to me that the mother was a meal recipient last Christmas. She was so moved by the officer’s generosity, she made a donation to the program.
“Thank you guys so much for doing this again for us this year,” the mother said. “It definitely helps make it a merrier Christmas.”
Sammy and her sister heard the woman say this. They instinctively turned around to wish one more stranger the most adorable version of “Merry Christmas.”
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