The Daviess County Sheriff’s Office slowly rolled into Colony Estates with the sheriff and a handful of deputies in four patrol vehicles Monday morning, a trailer loaded with nearly 650 Kentucky Legend hams in tow. To spread some holiday cheer and show that interactions with law enforcement aren’t always a bad thing, DCSO — thanks to an anonymous donor — handed out hams randomly to families across Daviess County.
Youngman said the donor approached DCSO about a month ago with the idea. He wanted to purchase the food locally, so he called Specialty Food Groups.
“We knew the amount of money we were working with so we wanted to start coming up with a plan of how we were going to do this because we didn’t really know how many hams it was going to be,” Youngman said. “At the time based on the market, SFG said we might get about 500 hams.”
When he called SFG late last week to say DCSO was going to be there Monday to pick the hams up, he found it they were actually getting 648.
“That was way more than we were expecting, but it was good because it meant more bang for our buck,” he said. “The person who donated the money wanted it to go as far as possible, so it was good news for everyone.”
After loading up 88 boxes in a trailer and truck bed, DCSO headed to Colony Estates for the first stop.
“We come out to this particular community quite a bit, and it’s not always the most positive interaction,” Youngman said. “Anytime we can, we want to come back and say, ‘Hey, it’s the same Sheriff’s Office, but it’s a different message today.’ We’re out here supporting our community. We’re not just here to come out and arrest people and do those kind of things.”
Deputies originally hoped residents would come outside to claim a ham, but the frigid wind was uninviting and several people weren’t home. That didn’t deter Youngman and the deputies from knocking on every door to ensure every family had a chance to get a ham.
Some people were hesitant at first to open their doors, but almost every person’s face lit up as they expressed gratitude for the free ham. DCSO Finance Director Shelly O’Bryan, who rarely gets to interact with the public in her daily duties, was excited about the opportunity to get out and join the effort.
“I thought it was wonderful to be a part of,” she said. “Some people weren’t sure what to expect when we approached them but their face lit up when they realized what we were doing. We made a great difference today and I was very glad to be a part of that.”
Sgt. Jake Klotzback added, ”The event today was great because I got to feel and share the happiness and excitement people displayed when receiving their ham.”
Some of the residents showed their own grace by sending the ham on to a neighbor who they felt was in more need.
“Some people were very emotional, some people felt that it was nice but that others in need were more deserving. They were very kind about it,” said Cpt. Duane Harper.
Chief Deputy Major Nick Roby said, “Today I got to experience how kind and appreciative people in our community are. I am very thankful for being able to be a part of something in which we can give back to our community.”
With more than 50 boxes still unopened after leaving the mobile home park, the officers split up to hit other pockets of the county — from Friendly Village on KY 81 and a couple of gas stations on KY 54 to Utica and Whitesville.
Youngman and Cpt. Jared Ramsey even stopped in the middle of the road in Whitesville to hand out hams to drivers passing by. Youngman said he “couldn’t be happier with the generosity of our community.”
Ramsey summed up the whole experience for everyone who participated: “Today was a great day, it allowed the public to see us not just as cops. Everyone we encountered was very grateful and appreciative. We got to witness a wide range of emotions, from smiles to tears and also several hugs. Even those who passed on taking a ham so that someone more in need would get the opportunity to get one expressed how it made their day to see the Sheriff’s Office not only protecting but giving back. At the end of the day, we want people to know we are here for them. People often see law enforcement during bad times in their lives, whether it be a wreck or a victim of a theft. It was good for people to see the other side of law enforcement. I’m extremely thankful for the anonymous donation and Specialty Food Groups for partnering with us to make this happen.”
