BMPD appreciation fundraiser launched

Money collected will provide catered meal and contribute to annual Christmas fund

Fred McCorimck
The Valley Echo
July 16, 2020

An initiative launched by a local business owner is raising money to support the Black Mountain Police Department through a catered meal and contribution to the organization’s annual Christmas fund. 

Maury Hurt, president of Hurt Architecture and Planning, P.A., organized the campaign to offer area businesses and community members an opportunity to express their support for the department. 

The funds raised will provide a catered meal for all members of the department and their significant others. Any additional money collected will be donated to the BMPD Christmas Fund, which assists local families in need during the holiday season. The department typically collects most of the money for the Christmas fund during the Sourwood Festival, according to Chief Shawn Freeman, but the cancellation of the annual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic decrease in donations this year. 

The catered meal will take place in late July, though the exact date and location have yet to be determined. 

“This effort is not sponsored by, or in any way affiliated with, the administration or government of the Town of Black Mountain,” Hurt said in a written statement announcing the initiative. “It is simply an opportunity for interested private citizens and businesses to say ‘thank you’ to our police department.”

Anyone interested in contributing to the fund can do so by depositing a check at the Black Mountain branch of Fifth Third Bank, at 128 Montreat Road. Checks should be made payable to Maury W. Hurt with the notation that they are “for the benefit of the BMPD account.” 

A placard listing the names of everyone who donated to the fund will be presented to the department during the meal, according to Hurt. 

“The placard will be given to the department as a reminder that there are many in our town who support the officers and staff of the BMPD, and sincerely appreciate and value the work they do to protect and serve us,” he said.