Cop Cadets load ‘Sunshine’ boxes at East Precinct

Watch young people helping to make sure that food boxes get delivered to families in need, in time for Christmas …

Lined up in front of the outer East Portland Police Bureau East Precinct in the Hazelwood neighborhood, volunteer community members are ready to drive “Sunshine Division” food boxes to families who need them.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

Some nine decades after it was created, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) Sunshine Division still provides year-round free food and clothing support to struggling Portland families, seniors, veterans, and the disabled, through a variety of programs.

The Sunshine Division’s tradition of delivering Holiday meals and cheer to outer East Portland families on the weekend before Christmas continued, Saturday morning, December 17.

Police Cadets stage and top off food boxes, to make them easy to load into volunteer drivers’ vehicles.

3,500 Holiday food boxes are delivered city-wide; volunteers lined up in the Floyd Light Middle School parking lot, ready to take out 550 of them to deliver to outer East Portland families.

Drivers were flagged into the north entry of the PPB East Precinct parking structure, where they received delivery maps and instructions for conveying their food boxes.

Portland State University student, and Portland Police East Precinct Cadet, Taylor Johnson tops food boxes with turkeys.

Madison High student, and Police Cadet LaShaun Emile, takes a food box to a waiting car.

Inside, 17 PPB East Precinct Cadets gathered the pre-assembled food boxes, added fresh bread and frozen turkeys, and topped off each meal with a pie, before they loaded up the procession of cars, trucks, and vans.

PPB School Resource Officer Steve Morinville talks with a volunteer driver on the way in to pick up food boxes she’ll deliver.

“The Cadets are all about community outreach, and are involved in helping the community,” remarked PPB School Resource Officer Steve Morinville, who is part of the East Precinct Police Cadet program.

“This is one of the major things they can do to help out with that,” Morinville told East Portland News. “We don’t have nearly enough officers to do this, so it’s the effort of our Cadets that makes this happen today.”

PPB Lieutenant Jason Pearce and daughter Emma Pearce are ready to roll out and deliver Sunshine Division food boxes.

Roberto Selva and Carolina Selva of “Feast for Southeast” load their truck for deliveries. “We do this because we want to give back to the community – and set a good example for our kids, too,” Roberto says.

Morinville said he’s happy to see the Cadets help the Sunshine Division by loading the delivery vehicles. “Together, we’re helping get food out to people who need it; and that’s the whole purpose of the Sunshine Division: helping people in need.”

The PPB East Precinct Cadets gather for a “team photo”.

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