Local School Programs Happy To See 2020's Cram the Cruiser Despite Virus Troubles

New Record Set For Event: Nearly $5K In Monetary Donations Plus Supplies

Local law enforcement and school personnel, L-R: BPD Chief Jeff Jewel, Morgan Esters, Alicia Edwards, Natalie Stice.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Another record-breaking year of cramming school supplies into police cruisers happened today in Edmonson County as local school and law enforcement officials teamed up once again for their annual fundraising event.

The 14th Annual Cram the Cruiser event took place at two locations: Dollar General in Chalybeate and Family Dollar in Brownsville as boxes, carts, and bags of school supplies were dropped off at both places. 

Jamie Carnes, Supervisor of Federal and State Programs for Edmonson County Schools, said the purpose for CtC is to ensure that all students have the necessary supplies at school, especially those that need a little more help throughout the school year.

"There are a lot of kids out there who do not have access to those items that other kids have," he said. "A lot of parents buy their kids plenty of stuff for back-to-school, we understand that, but there are also plenty of other kids that don't have access to those types of things, and those are the kids we're trying to help out. You'd be surprised the kind of requests we get through the regular school year just for basic things, like notebooks, pencils, pens, erasers, just simple things like that."

Brownsville Police Chief Jeff Jewel shares a moment with a future officer.

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​Edmonson County Sheriff Shane Doyle said the reason that Cram The Cruiser is always successful is because of the tight-knit community in Edmonson County.

"We do everything together, as a community, as a whole," he said. "We try to support our school system, we try to support our whole community, and they try to support us. We've got a wonderful partnership going."

Also helping out at this year's event was Brownsville Police and the Kentucky State Police. With teams and law enforcement at both locations, the donations were coming in steadily, despite social distancing recommendations. Both places had drop off stations set up where folks could drive in, drop off, and never leave their vehicles.

ServPro set up a tent and provided fans for workers and handed out snacks throughout the day. Pelican's Snoballs of Bowling Green was on hand in Brownsville, and Ladybug's Fritters and Fries was set up in Chalybeate. Both donated a portion of their proceeds to the event. 

Natalie Stice and Morgan Esters with EC Schools sort donated items.

Kentucky State Police Public Information Officer Daniel Priddy said he was extremely pleased with the local turnout for this year's event.

"This has been another successful event and I'm happy that Edmonson County came out the way they did to show their generosity for our local kids," he said. "And under these circumstances, it's even more important to see just how great Edmonson County is. Today's event will help local students start off right and get help throughout the school year."

Superintendent of Edmonson County Schools Brian Alexander also attended today's event.

"We appreciate everything we get, everything our community can offer to our schools," he said. "And I can't say enough about our staff here today. Our Family Resource folks, our Community Ed folks that come out every year and give their time. They're folks that you don't see sometimes. You see my face, but you don't see theirs and they're the ones that make our school community tick."

The supplies will be divided equally among local schools. The resources will be utilized all school year long.