Police Agencies Deliver Thanksgiving Dinner to Needy Families

Police departments across the country spent some of the past few days delivering holiday joy—in the form of Thanksgiving dinner—to families who desperately need it.

In McAllen, TX, police delivered dinners to 150 families for the 16th consecutive year, according to KVEO-TV . The families receiving the meals were pre-selected by the police department and McAllen ISD based on need. McAllen PD also hosted their 2nd annual Turkey or Ticket campaign in which unsuspecting drivers are stopped and given a turkey instead of a ticket.

In Albany, NY, officers served an early Thanksgiving dinner to more than 300 individuals who lined up outside the James H. Gray Civic Center on Tuesday evening.

Albany Sergeant Kawaski Barnes told WALB News , "Tonight's goal is to feed everybody we can and to have people leave with a smile on their face and just a positive feel about the police department overall."

In Oklahoma City, OK, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 123 surprised shoppers by purchasing their Thanksgiving groceries. According to KFOR-TV , FOP Lodge 123 Vice President Mark Nelson said, "The holidays can be a financially stressful time. We wanted to take this opportunity to give back and say thank you to the citizens of Oklahoma City for their support throughout the year."

Turning the tables—so to speak—some citizens provided police with a Thanksgiving meal.

The Atlanta Braves baseball team wanted to show appreciation to those who sacrifice their time to protect Atlanta on holidays. The Braves provided a turkey dinner to 100 police officers who were scheduled to work on Thanksgiving Day, according to MLB.com .