United Seaford, in conjunction with members of the Seaford Police Department and community action groups, met at Nutter Park on Saturday, Oct. 8 for a time of fun, information and cooperation during “Faith and Blue.”
Faith and Blue is a national initiative designed to encourage unified partnerships among law enforcement agencies, members of the public, businesses, and community organizations and groups through connections with local, faith-based organizations. Faith and Blue began in 2020 by MovementForward, Inc. They worked with the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services at the U.S. Department of Justice. According to the national organization, “the ties that bind officers and residents must be reinforced if we are to build neighborhoods where everyone feels safe and included. Faith-based organizations are the key to building these bonds, because they are not only the largest community resource in the nation, but because they are as diverse as our nation.”
Children are pictured enjoying the bike rodeo during the Faith and Blue event in Seaford. Photo by Rebecca Jones
On Saturday, United Seaford – a group of ministers and faith-based leaders whose goal is to promote unity among those who live and work in Seaford – invited the public to partake of free food, interact in positive and uplifting ways with the Seaford Police Department, and to connect with helps organizations.
Children were encouraged to participate in a bike rodeo that the police department assembled. There was also a drone on hand, as well as a chance to play video games against various officers. Policemen rode one of their motorcycles on the rodeo course. Even Representative Danny Short tried his expertise, operating the police motorcycle on the course.
Reverend Isaac Ross said before the festivities commenced, “Our police coming together with our faith partners show what it means to come together.”
Help organizations that were present at the event included Help Initiative, the Gideons, Lifestyles Matter and First State Community Action. Help Initiative of Delaware is an organization that promotes a safer community and a healthy home. Help Initiative provides free healthy home assessments to check for possible mold, and other dangers in your home. Along with the assessment, they offer a kit, including a smoke detector, lead testing kit, a fire extinguisher, first aid kit and a blanket. During the one-hour appointment, if they do find a problem in your home such as mold, they work with other agencies to help take care of the issue in your home.
Lifestyles Matter had bags with information pertinent to health issues, as well as a healthy snack and free hand sanitizer gel. Lifestyles Matter is an initiative that began when the Interdenominational Ministers Action Council partnered with the Public Health Management Coorporation and the Delaware Academy of Medicine and Delaware Public Health Association. According to their organization, they cater to medically underserved areas in New Castle and Sussex counties in Delaware, to inform about nutrition, physical and mental health, as well as how to help defend against COVID-19.
The Gideons International began in 1908 with two Christian businessmen who wanted to enlist the help of other traveling Christian businessmen to place Bibles in hotel rooms. Those small beginnings transformed into taking more than two billion Scriptures into more than 200 countries, translated into 95 different languages. The Gideons were on hand at the Faith and Blue, encouraging young people on bicycles and distributing the small, orange Bibles to those who asked.
First State Community Action in Sussex County operates out of Georgetown, but serves the entire county. Not only do they provide a cooking program, but they also partnered with Del Tech to provide CDL and HVAC programs to willing participants. They are also looking into providing other programs to train people to be able to earn a living wage. They said anyone interested in their programs to call 302-856-7761.
Pastor Ross said that United Seaford is planning other events in the future.
