Black Mountain Police respond to local holiday needs

Annual Thanksgiving tradition delivers more than a dozen meals to Swannanoa Valley families

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
November 21, 2023

Black Mountain Police Major Chris Kuhn delivers a Thanksgiving turkey to one of 13 local families, Nov. 21, as the department continued its annual holiday tradition. Photo by Fred McCormick

More than a dozen families had plenty to be thankful for, Nov. 21, as officers from the Black Mountain Police Department gathered on the south side of Ingles, loading turkeys, hams and all the fixings into nearby vehicles.

The low clouds and cold rain did little to deter the group from its mission of carrying out an annual tradition that continues to save the holiday season for local residents.

The department launched the Thanksgiving initiative in 2017, in an effort to support Black Mountain residents in need, according to Lieutenant Joe Kidd, who has been part of the project since it began.

“There is a feeling of reward and satisfaction that comes when you help make the holidays better for a family,” Kidd said. “We know there are needs right here in town, so being here to help to help however we can is a great feeling.”

BMPD raises money for the program through community outreach efforts like its annual golf tournament, according to Chief Steve Parker. The department partnered with local schools and the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry to identify families who may need support for the holiday.

“They get consent for us to reach out to the families, and we contact them and see if they can use the assistance,” said Kidd, who coordinates the giveaway. “Most people are excited when they hear about it, and sometimes we’ll have people on the list who end up not needing the help and asking us to give it to someone else.”

Each family receives a turkey or ham, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, dinner rolls and more.

Black Mountain Police personnel gather, Nov. 21, to distribute Thanksgiving meals to 13 local families. Photo by Fred McCormick

“We really appreciate the local school district, SVCM and Ingles for working with us on this,” the chief said. “One big thing about this is that it’s a community effort, and without them this would be a lot more difficult.”

Thirteen families received Thanksgiving meals from the department this year. The gesture is a comforting one for the Prince family, who were displaced from their temporary home, following an hours-long incident at a local motel in October.

“This is a big help for us,” said Gregory Prince, whose family was evacuated as a suspect barricaded himself in a room nearby. “Myself, my wife and our two grand children had to leave, and that was our first interaction with BMPD. We’ve had an ongoing relationship with them since, because they’ve been very helpful to us since that happened.”

The family will use the items to cook a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in their current lodging.

“It’s obviously been an interesting few weeks for us, considering what we went through,” Prince said. “So, to see BMPD be so supportive of us, and especially our grandchildren, makes us extremely grateful.”

The department will continue to work helping families during the holiday season, with plans to provide Christmas gifts to 33 Black Mountain children. While the work is just getting started, the opportunity to provide comfort to local residents during the holidays is something that Kidd looks forward to every year.

“It’s really nice to get away from the normal routine and be out here focused on something else,” he said. “This is definitely the most rewarding time of the year for me.”