POUGHKEEPSIE – A tradition that was started a few years ago by the men and women of the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department continued in 2023. The members of the PBA collected desserts and other baked goods earlier this week and delivered them to well-deserving students in the Poughkeepsie City School District on Thanksgiving Eve Day.
More than 160 pies, cakes, cookies, and other treats were collected at the Main Street Public Safety Building, and on Wednesday, the cops were assigned a list of delivery names and addresses and went out to deliver the goods and interact with the children.
Detective Karen Zirbel, who serves as a School Resource Officer at Poughkeepsie High School, worked with staff members at all of the schools to develop a list of students who deserved to be recognized in a positive way.
“We spend a considerable amount of time dealing with students who are not interested in being in school, or are acting out repeatedly. As a result, we rarely get to spend time with the students who show up every day to get an education and avoid the drama. This is our way to show those students that their behavior is not only being recognized, but we are rewarding them as well – they have certainly earned it,” said Zirbel.
“Despite skyrocketing costs in the grocery stores, our community stakeholders and supporters still came through in a big way to help us in our mission,” said PBA President Kevin Van Wagner. “This tradition is good for the kids, good for us, and good for the community. We are fortunate to have the chance to do it.”
