The Maple Shade Police Chaplain Corp continued into their 9th year of service to the Township of Maple Shade. Even though the group has grown smaller over the years since their formation, their dedication has only increased!
The Chaplain Corp handled 2 activations for 2024 responding out to death investigations and supporting our residents when family or friends passed away. Their calming presence and support are much appreciated by all during the grieving process. They also handled numerous Stationhouse Adjustments actively diverting youth from the Juvenile Justice System and instead providing alternate methods of accountability and counseling to help steer our youth back on track. Finally, the Chaplains conducted a critical incident stress debriefing for officers following a tragic accident that happened in town where many officers knew the victim, as well as organizing a counseling session for the employees of the company that were affected by the accident. This level of support and caring are immensely important to our team and the community that we serve!
As far as community engagement goes, the 2024 National Night Out was held on Tuesday August 6th at the Maple Shade High School. With a rain filled forecast before us engulfing both the day of the event and our rain date, the decision was made to move the event indoors and to pivot very quickly with a brand-new set up so that this NNO event could move forward. Chief Fletcher and Community Affairs Officer (CAO) Misty Weiss assembled a team of Chaplains, officers, school personnel and volunteers to work at a feverous pitch to make this happen and we did. The 2024 National Night Out was a huge success seeing thousands passing through the new venue with smiles and laughter everywhere! The event itself was sponsored by the Chaplain Corp, our non-profit the Maple Shade Police Chaplain Association (MSPCA), MSPD, PBA Local #267, the Township of Maple Shade, the Maple Shade Business Association, the Advisory Board of Commerce, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, McDowell Law, the Maple Shade School District and our professional service providers. Thanks to their collective generous support, we were once again able to provide the community with a FREE FAMILY FUN EVENT which included free food, an activity zone for the kids, an entertainment zone for our performers, as well as music provided by DJ Tony Egner (our official NNO DJ). It was a wonderful night had by all and a great way to enhance our sense of community!
The Chaplain Corp also partnered with CAO Misty Weiss, PBA Local #267 and our MSPD family, along with our non-profit the Maple Shade Police Chaplain Association (MSPCA) and the Maple Shade School District to host the 3rd annual Shaders Feeding Shaders school wide food drive. Yocum School Pre-K took 1st place and was the winner of a pizza party sponsored by PBA Local #267 and the MSPCA. All food collected was donated to the Maple Shade Food Bank and transported there from the various schools thanks to the assistance of the officers at MSPD.
Further, the Chaplain Corp partnered with MSPD, the Township of Maple Shade, PBA Local #267, the Maple Shade Business Association and Advisory Board of Commerce, Bentley Trucking and the Maple Shade Police Chaplain Association (our non-profit) to host a massive town wide food drive called the “Fill the Truck Event” during October into early November 2024. It was another large-scale event and proved to be a huge success thanks to our continuing partnerships with Eastern Lift and Stonhard.
Alongside of this food drive was a separate food drive competition for all sports and youth groups in town to compete against one another for prize money based upon the total donations that they made to the Maple Shade Food Bank. It was a win-win for all involved and we appreciate the efforts of our children and their parents for working with us in caring for our community by helping to stamp out hunger right here in Maple Shade.
It is important to note that the foundation of the Chaplain Corp is in caring for the officers and staff of the Maple Shade Police Department and our team has done a great job with that. Whether it is a medical emergency, a surgery, a death in the family or the birth of a child, our Chaplains are there to always lend a loving and supportive hand and we so appreciate their efforts!
As we transition into 2025, the Chaplain Corp will remain on the front lines ready, willing and able to care for our community, our first responders and their families. The Chaplain Corp remains resilient and grounded, knowing full well that the power of the human spirit will emerge victorious and there will be a better collective future ahead for us all and the town that we care so much about.
