“God is on my side,” said Brittany Knapp, a member of one of the 16 families the Battle Ground Police Department served Thanksgiving meals to on Tuesday and Wednesday before the holiday.
The Battle Ground Police Department hosted its second annual “Serving Beyond the Badge: Thanksgiving Edition,” an event created to help local families enjoy a warm, traditional Thanksgiving meal, according to a news release by the city of Battle Ground.
“Last year was our first year, and it went over so exceedingly well that we wanted to look to not only replicate it, but could we expand on it?” Battle Ground Police Chief Dennis Flynn said. “Sadly, there’s more families that are in need that we’re able to service right now.”
The event provided a fully cooked Thanksgiving meal to families within the Battle Ground community who may not have otherwise been able to enjoy one.
Last year, the Battle Ground Police Department provided Thanksgiving meals to 13 families. This year, the number jumped to 16. Overall, the total meal total increased from over 60 individual meals to over 75 meals from 2024 to 2025.
On Tuesday, Nov. 25, and Wednesday, Nov. 26, between responding to calls for service, Battle Ground police officers delivered the meals to the families in need.
“It allows our officers to engage people in ways that typically we don’t get to,” Flynn said. “Many times when the uniformed officers go out, it is for a call for service, and sometimes people are experiencing not their very best days. So this is an opportunity not only for the public to interact with us in that manner but also for the officers to interact with the public and continue our efforts of truly partnering with the community.”
The 75 individual meals were carefully prepared and packaged by the dedicated Battle Ground police officers and professional staff along with a team of committed volunteers, including Battle Ground Mayor Troy McCoy and City Manager Kris Swanson.
McCoy said the volunteer efforts and businesses involved is a prime example of the growing city still holding strong to tight-knit community values.
“We are going to grow because the word’s got out, Battle Ground is a great place to be,” McCoy said. “But we can keep our character and our identity and our love for this community close to us.”
The effort was made possible by the generosity of local businesses and individuals who truly embody what it means to support their community, the city stated in the release.
“We extend our sincere appreciation to Playmakers Sports Bar and Grill, Summerland Catering Services, Maddox Industrial Transformers, Al & Ernie’s Bakery Café, Utopia Salon, Castle Farms, Walmart and Lori Lindberg, whose contributions helped turn this vision into reality,” Flynn stated in the news release. “We are proud to stand alongside local businesses, volunteers and city leaders as we work together to uplift and support Battle Ground families during the holiday season.”
