STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – The Sterling Heights Police Department is going above and beyond the call of duty to benefit children.
Police officers were ready to strike a pose to create a new calendar that might turn some heads.
"We wanted to give a glimpse to the public, 'Hey, these are the officers out here in different form or fashion protecting you,'" Sterling Heights police Lt. Mario Bastianelli said.
All the different boroughs of the Sterling Heights Police Department will be represented in the 2020 photo calendar. Bastianelli said he has a feeling the calendars might be in high demand.
"Sometimes there's an attraction to people in uniform and we have gotten fanfare," Bastianelli said.
All the profits from the calendar will go toward the Blessings in a Backpack charity in Utica.
"They came to us and said, 'Hey, Bob, how about the calendar?'" said Bob Maynard, the fundraising chairperson for Blessings in a Backpack. "It's a great idea."
The charity provides meals for children on weekends when they're home from school. Blessings in a Backpack takes care of about 350 children, but with the help of the calendar, the hope is that even more children will get meals.
"The whole purpose of this is to make sure when a child arrives back to school Monday morning that they're not hungry," Maynard said. "They learn better."
Bastianelli said the calendar is a win-win because charity gets more money and it helps promote the hardworking officers in Sterling Heights.
"Showing the public we're not all about just getting bad guys," Bastianelli said. "We're about protecting and providing a great service. We provide the best service."
The calendars are expected to be finished in a couple of weeks and will be for sale at Sterlingfest for $10.