BROKEN BOW–The Broken Bow Knights of Columbus will hold their 17th annual Santa Cop Lunch on Sunday, November 13 from 12 noon to 2 p.m. at the St. Joseph’s Parish Center in Broken Bow.
Homemade soup, sandwiches and desserts will be served for a free-will offering. To-go containers are also available. This is a fundraiser for the Santa Cop Project, which brings holiday gifts to Custer County kids in need.
Sponsors for the Santa Cop Lunch include the Knights of Columbus, Salvation Army, Grocery Kart, Thrivent Financial, Custer County Sheriff’s Office, Broken Bow Police Department and Nebraska State Patrol.
Anyone who cannot attend but would like to make a donation to Santa Cop can send checks, payable to Santa Cop, to Julie Toline at the Broken Bow Police Department, 116 South 11th Avenue, Broken Bow, NE 68822.
Member of the Custer County Unit of the Salvation Army Carol Allen told KCNI/KBBN the first Santa Cop distribution took place in 2004 with the first lunch fundraiser kicking off years of tradition in 2006. Allen said she appreciates the immense support of the Knights of Columbus for hosting the lunch and all of the event sponsors.
The proceeds raised from the free-will donation event go through the Custer County Foundation to benefit the Santa Cop program in which gifts will be purchased this month and distributed the week before Christmas by law enforcement officers who enjoy the opportunity to act as Santa!
“The sheriff’s office, the police department, and the state patrol those are the ones that deliver the gifts to the kids!” Carol Allen said.
Salvation Army member Julie Toline said the annual Santa Cop Lunch raises thousands of dollars which allowed for the giving of—what she estimates—gifts to 198 children last year.
“We have an incredibly generous community, the whole county is just amazing,” Toline said.
