FROM PATCHES NEARBY: Food Drive Honors Fallen Lakewood Officers

It is a way to help – and a way to heal.

Today’s second anniversary of the fatal shooting in a Parkland coffee shop that took the lives of four Lakewood Police Officers also marks the kickoff of the second annual Fallen Officers Food Drive. The event was created last year in memory of Sgt. Mark Renninger and Officers Tina Griswold, Ronald Owens and Greg Richards.

Kim Renninger said that she sees the food drive as a celebration of the lives of her husband and his colleagues, rather than as grieving a loss.

“It has been an opportunity for me to keep busy before the 29th anniversary date,” she said.

The first year brought in $31,034.84 in cash donations and about 26,000 pounds of food for the Lakewood-based Emergency Food Network. This year, with need in Pierce County continuing to grow, the goal is to collect $50,000 in cash and 50,000 pounds of food between now and Monday.

“The food drive is a way to honor our loved ones by giving back to the community – the same community that supported us in our time of need two years ago,” said Renninger, who is one of the event’s chairpersons.

“We feel extremely grateful for the continued love and support.”

Her co-chair, Cindy Salazar, the wife of Lakewood Police Chief Bret Farrar, said that the food drive is the city’s way of “remembering and honoring our fallen officers, as well as other fallen officers, by serving the community as they did.”

Given the insurmountable number of tasks she faces on a daily basis, EFN executive director Helen McGovern doesn’t usually make it out to food drives. But she said that this one is different.

“I was on the City Council when the tragedy happened and I have been a trustee for the last two years and gotten to know some of the family members,” said McGovern, who will be out taking donations when the event kicks off this morning, and again at the end of the day. “I want to join in as a community member to honor their memories in a positive way.”

For every dollar donated, EFN can purchase $12 worth of food for the 67 food banks, shelters and meal sites in Pierce County under the organization’s umbrella. EFN distributes more than 14 million pounds of food annually.

“As you can imagine,” Salazar said, “the need is great this year.”

Last year, the food drive was intended to be a one-week event, beginning on the day of the officers’ memorial unveiling outside the police department. But at the end of the week, donations continued flowing in. So the big green bins stayed outside another week. And then another.

They were finally brought inside at the beginning of February.

“After the holidays, (donations) do taper off,” a surprised Farrar said early this year. “Mostly because people are not out there asking for donations; there are no big food drives going on or things like that.”

Now, the bins are back.

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

Donations will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. today at the Lakewood Police Department, 9401 Lakewood Drive S.W., and through Monday at all Pierce County Forza Coffee locations, all Pierce County Library branches, Lakewood ACE Hardware, 8123 Steilacoom Blvd. S.W. and Rusty’s Auto and Truck Repair, 19912 Meridian Ave. E. in Graham.

Today, A Storage Center announced they would be collecting donations for the food drive at its locations in Parkland, 220 E. 112th Street, and Spanaway, 15413 First Ave. Ct. S. The storage company is also offering a $1 rental credit for each nonperishable food item that is donated.