A homeless couple needing money for gas and car repairs. A single parent preparing for a medical procedure. A 10-year-old boy searching clearance racks for shoes. These were just some of the people who received unexpected help from the Eden Prairie Police Department (EPPD) in December.
For the fifth consecutive year, EPPD officers and staff handed out $50 to community members in need, made possible by a donation from the Eden Prairie Crime Prevention Fund, according to a Jan. 8 EPPD blog post.
An anonymous donor funded the program, which gave 75 department employees the freedom to distribute the money as they saw fit.
Recipients of the Crime Prevention Fund’s gifts included:
• A family displaced by a house fire.
• A family living in their car.
• A restaurant worker serving customers on Christmas Eve.
• A gas station employee supporting a family with multiple health struggles.
• An immigrant who escaped trafficking, obtained a work permit, and is working two jobs.
• A delivery driver working late into the night to make holiday deliveries.
• A student who lost his headphones after saving his own money to buy them.
• A parent of a child with special needs struggling to afford basic essentials.
Other recipients ranged from a veteran ringing a Salvation Army bell to a senior citizen transitioning from hotel living to permanent housing. One woman who lost her husband and endured a break-in in the same month also received support, as did a low-income couple needing help with groceries.
“The EPPD is deeply grateful to the Crime Prevention Fund for allowing us to share joy with our residents during the holidays,” the blog stated.
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