Lorain Police distribute Thanksgiving meals

LORAIN – Dozens of Lorain families received a Thanksgiving meal delivered by Lorain police officers on Saturday. Bright and early that morning, about a dozen Lorain officers and their families drove to Westlake to pick up boxes of shelf-stable goods and frozen turkeys from Thanksgiving Heroes Cleveland, taking back cruiser-loads of items to deliver throughout Lorain. Officer Miguel Baez drove the department's Dodge Charger and saw volunteers cram 10 meals into his compact cruiser to deliver throughout the city's south side. From Tacoma Avenue to Riverside Drive, he stopped by house after house, carrying the frozen turkey and box of items to each door. For the homes where residents were inside, Baez was greeted by smiling faces and, for a few, the wagging tails of excited pets. "A lot of people see us just at the worst times," Baez said. "... It's different (today). We're coming in with smiling faces and especially during these times the faces that we see that are really appreciative of this." Shannon Fowls, a board member for Thanksgiving Heroes Cleveland, reached out to Lorain police Capt. Jacob Morris about members of the department volunteering with the organization, Baez said. On Thursday, 25 dispatchers, officers and their families helped pack boxes at the Westlake facility, he said, and another dozen officers donated their time Saturday to deliver the meals. For some recipients, the food boxes were a complete surprise. "I didn't know it was happening," Sylvia Medina said, taking the cardboard box from Baez and looking toward her husband inside their south side home. "It helps a lot – we're both on Social Security." Pilar Luis and her mother, Pura, accepted a surprise box from Baez toward the end of his route. "We're not used to this," Pilar Luis said, adding her family often gives to others rather than receiving help themselves. "... I'm glad to know there are people with that mindset still." Baez, while driving back to the police department at the end of his route, agreed with Luis. "Sometimes there may be a person out there that may see something within you that you don't see because sometimes we get so caught up giving and giving and giving and helping out that we don't even know that our cup is getting empty," Baez said. "I learned sometimes it's hard to give, to pour from our cup if you have nothing. It's always great that somebody must have seen them and said 'let's do something for them.'" Thanksgiving Heroes Cleveland, founded in 2020 by Matt Chase and Chase Group Realty, saw thousands of meals donated and distributed this year. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.