Gaston County Police officer and Bessemer City High students team up to help the homeless

A Gaston County Police officer's former side hustle led him to help the homeless, and he found ready help from two seniors at Bessemer City High where he now works as the school's resource officer.

Officer Jeff Thompson, along with students Riley Royer and Lacey Pettry, conducted a blanket drive for residents living at the Salvation Army shelter in Gastonia.

“In the past, I have worked in security at the Salvation Army assisting with the intake," Thompson said. "I saw that the intake center only had room for a certain number of people. Once they meet their number they have to, unfortunately, turn folks away. So I came up with the idea for a blanket drive to assist those in intake and those who are turned away.”

Royer and Pettry, both school Pep Club members, 17, encouraged family, friends and school faculty to join the effort, which ended up netting 280 blankets to the homeless shelter. They also ended up collecting some toiletry items to give in addition to the blankets.

“This drive was done with the best intentions to help the homeless community of Gaston County,” said Thompson, a 20-plus year police veteran who has worked at Bessemer City High for a year. ”I approached Principal Sheila Wyont with the idea and she thought it would be a good idea to get students involved. She suggested that we get a club to sponsor the drive and collect the blankets.”

The blankets will help those who struggle to keep warm in the winter months, said Salvation Army Maj. David Phelps.

“We are always grateful for any donations especially this time of year. These donations are what makes a difference in our community,” Phelps said.

Beatriz Guerrero can be reached at 704-869-1828 or on Twitter@BeatrizGue_

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston Police officer and Bessemer City students help the homeless