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Crime & Safety

Second-Annual Fallen Officers Food Drive Brings In $40,000 – and Counting

Nearly 39,000 pounds of food have been collected for the Emergency Food Network, and those involved could not be happier.

It wasn’t quite $50,000, but the end result was priceless to those involved.

As of Thursday afternoon, nearly $40,000 in monetary donations and 39,000 pounds of food had been collected for the second annual . All proceeds from the event go to the Lakewood-based Emergency Food Network.

The event kicked off last Tuesday on the second anniversary of the deaths of Sgt. Mark Renninger and Officers Tina Griswold, Greg Richards and Ronnie Owens. The four Lakewood Police officers were fatally shot in a Parkland coffee shop on Nov. 29, 2009.

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The initial goal was to collect $50,000 and 50,000 pounds of food, but EFN Executive Director Helen McGovern could not have been more pleased with what the community was able to do in just seven days.

“Oh my gosh, I think it went incredibly well,” she said. “You know, even with everything that is going on, and in this economy, there were a lot of people who donated – $1, $10, spare change. The involvement was huge.”

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McGovern said that “one very huge check” comprised about three-quarters of the $31,034 donated in . This year, with the exception of $9,675 raised by the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, the rest of the money came in much smaller increments.

“I think that it’s wonderful that they’re willing to give to us,” she said, “but more than that, it speaks to the fact that they’re honoring the lives of the fallen officers.”

Also meaningful was that several of the surviving family members of the officers dedicated their time to participating, including Renninger’s wife, Kim, who sits on the food drive’s board and spent hours on the front lines outside the Lakewood Police Department. Throughout the day, she was joined by Griswold’s husband, Richards’ mother and daughter and Owens’ sister.

Renninger said that participating in the event was “an amazing experience.”

“It was overwhelming to see the amount of food and cases of peanut butter being donated and knowing a lot of families will benefit from our efforts and the generosity of others.”

She added that she already has ideas to share for the 2012 food drive that will mark the third anniversary of her husband’s death.

McGovern said that it was beneficial for people to see the officers’ family members out in public and promoting the importance of the food drive.

“I think it’s a huge amount of respect for the memory of not just the officers we lost, but a lot of people who dropped off food were thanking the officers there who serve us every day.”

For those still wanting to make a donation, the bins will remain outside the police station for at least another week – Police Chief Bret Farrar said last week that “as long as people are bringing food, I’ll leave them out there” – and the student body at Lakewood Career Academy is also collecting food through Thursday.

Among the items most needed by EFN are proteins, such as peanut butter, canned chili, stew and soup, as well as canned fruit, vegetables, baby food and formula.

McGovern credited the food drive's board – Renninger, Farrar, herself, Cindy Salazar and Richards' wife, Kelly – for its planning this year, saying that getting media exposure was crucial.

“They worked very hard,” she said of the team. “At the one-year anniversary, people are interested, and it’s sad to say, but it’s a little more time in two years, so it’s wonderful that we received so much attention.”

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