When Deputy Mich Long orders his lunch, he typically asks for it to be served to-go.
"I usually tell them to put it in a to-go bag in case I have to leave, so I can take it with me," said the veteran Dawson County Sheriff's patrol officer.
Missing meals is a common occurrence for officers assigned to Sheriff Billy Carlisle's patrol division.
"I was thinking about them the other day when they have to stand out on the road for hours working traffic during an accident or during one of the gas line breaks at 400 and 53. They aren't able to leave [even] to get something to drink," Carlisle said.
The generosity of a local family that recently completed the sheriff's citizen law enforcement academy is making those missed meals a little easier to digest.
On Monday morning, Bill and Cheryl Price along with their daughter, Shauna, delivered 33 Blue Light Snack Packs, filled with granola bars, pretzels, energy bars and snack crackers, to the sheriff's office.
"We made one for each of the patrol deputies and all the detectives in investigations," Cheryl Price said. "We wanted to have protein for them, so we tried to put in protein, like granola bars or Slim Jim."
For the time being, the family will make the special Blue Light Snack Pack deliveries every two weeks.
"We'd love to do it every week, but we just don't have the money," said Cheryl Price, who told members of her Sunday school class at Concord Baptist Church about their new ministry to help the officers.
"In the first week of me explaining what we wanted to do, they gave $100. That paid for our bags, all of our snacks. Then they gave again the next week."
Sorting through his bag of goodies, Sgt. Anthony Davis said he was appreciative of the gesture.
"Just the other night, we were so busy that I didn't get to eat dinner until midnight, so having something like this in the car with us is something we can easily eat on the way to a call to hold us over," he said. "This kind of stuff is great."
Patrol Maj. Greg Rowan added: "We certainly appreciate them getting together and thinking about us. It means a lot to us to know the community cares."
The Prices have set up a donation account at Foothills Community Bank for anyone who would like to contribute.
For more information, call (859) 250-2337.