BMPD lights up the holidays for local families
Santa, sweets and special surprises greet 33 children in time for Christmas
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
December 20, 2023
The Black Mountain Police Department hosted its annual holiday gift giveaway, Dec. 20. The annual department tradition provided wrapped presents for 33 children from the Swannanoa Valley. Photo by Fred McCormick
Nearly a dozen local law enforcement officers passed out cookies and gifts to 33 Swannanoa Valley children, Dec. 20, as the Black Mountain Police Department enlisted the assistance of Santa Claus to ring in the return of its annual gift drive.
The event allowed high-ranking, first-year and veteran BMPD officers to celebrate the holiday season with 13 families from around the Swannanoa Valley.
The department launched its first gift-giving initiative in 1993, when Johnny Raines, who served the BMPD Chief of Auxiliary Police for more than 40 years before passing away in 2015, established the Christmas Cheer program. While that holiday fundraiser, which distributed gifts to nearly 300 local children in 2022, is now operated through the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry, the police department has continued its annual tradition of helping area families in need.
“I think the ‘protect’ aspect of law enforcement is something that often comes easy to officers,” said BMPD Chief Steve Parker. “But, the service side of what we do requires some work.”
Every department employee shopped for holiday wish lists, which were submitted the week of Thanksgiving, according to Lieutenant Joe Kidd, an 18-year BMPD veteran who organizes the annual Thanksgiving and Christmas giveaways.
“The families brought us lists, with ages and sizes, when they picked up Thanksgiving meals in November,” Kidd said. “We split those lists up between squads in the department, and everyone shops for things each kid requested. Some of them order stuff online, others physically go into stores and shop, but everyone is part of it.”
Black Mountain police officers carry gifts out of the department’s training room, Dec. 20, as 13 local families received presents before the Christmas holiday. Photo by Fred McCormick
The department coordinated with Buncombe County Schools and the SVCM to identify local families who would most benefit from holiday assistance. Each of those families received meals for Thanksgiving and were invited to the station to receive gifts, wrapped by officers, and a $100 gift card to Ingles before Christmas.
“We are grateful to have the support of the Black Mountain Ingles for this event,” Parker said. “Manager Glen Rice came back this year as Santa, and the kids get a chance to talk to him, meet their local police officers and eat cookies, cupcakes and other treats.”
Kellie Prince, whose family has been searching for a long-term home since June before being displaced from a local motel following an incident last October, was emotional while thanking BMPD officials for their support in recent weeks.
“Knowing that this department, and this entire community, have been so supportive of us is very meaningful to me,” she said. “We’ve been through so much since June, we weren’t really sure what we were going to do for the holidays.”
Her grandchildren, she added, only wanted “to be happy.”
“We really wanted to have a Christmas tree and at least a few gifts for them,” Prince said. “Thanks to the BMPD, we have more than enough. They are going to open all these presents on Christmas morning, and I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
Black Mountain Police Chief Steve Parker, back, right, and Ingles Manager Glen Rice, dressed as Santa Claus, with with two of the 33 local children who received gifts through the BMPD’s annual holiday gift drive on Dec. 20. Photo by Fred McCormick
Many officers who greeted families and carried gifts to awaiting vehicles have been participating in the event for years, while others were experiencing the feeling of giving back to the community for the first time, according to Parker.
“Initiatives like this help us build better relationships, and hands down that’s one of the most important things we do in this job,” he said. “Having an opportunity to get together with fellow officers and spend time with the community members we serve in a more festive atmosphere is a valuable experience for some of our newest employees and those who have been with us for a long time.”