It was hard to miss the large blue tent of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department right outside in the parking lot of Lowes Food last week. Greeting shoppers as they headed inside, our officers were there to support the store and local non-profit Mission Lexington in their annual food drive. It’s been a record-breaking year!
Focused on helping people during moments of crisis, Mission Lexington wanted to fill up their food pantry ahead of Thanksgiving to make sure no local resident would face an empty Thanksgiving table.
Led by Sergeant Lee Barrett of our Community Action Team, our deputies joined forces with the Lowes Food staff and Mission Lexington team to take on their goal of feeding 4,000 families this holiday season.
Collecting both non-perishable groceries and monetary donations used to buy food bags, in one two-hour period the team collected an incredible $1,000 cash! The generosity of shoppers from the Lexington County community continued over the two-day food drive, and the result was more than 350 bags of food collected in just two days.
It was a record-breaking success for the store with this specific Lowes Food location collecting more donations than any other location in the store district – an incredible success and a great example of Lexington County community values in action.
Reflecting on the food drive’s great success, Store Manager Scott McAfree said: “It feels really good to partner with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and Mission Lexington and to help those families in need, those families who might not otherwise have a Thanksgiving meal”. He continued, “It’s a really good feeling to be a part of something this big”.
Being able to contribute to local community initiatives such as the Lowes Food and Mission Lexington Food Drive is a priority for the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
Sergeant Barrett expressed his gratitude to be able to help such a worthy cause and to help provide “the quality of life in Lexington County as I believe all citizens of Lexington County want to do.” He added: “Our Sherriff is big on that – providing a good quality of life for every citizen in Lexington County”, a core focus of the Community Action Team initiatives here at the department.
We’re always looking for passionate citizens who want to protect and contribute to the warm-hearted community we have here in Lexington. Whether you’re an office admin whizz or looking for your next deputy position, take a look at our vacancies page to find the perfect opportunity for you to be a part of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department family.