Limerick cops raise funds for charity by selling their beloved donuts

GARDAÍ in Limerick will be taking a rest from their regular crime-fighting duties as they sell doughnuts, all in the name of charity. 

More accustomed to traffic stops than selling confectionaries, members of the community policing unit at Roxboro Road Garda Station will play their part in a worldwide event called Cops for Donuts

The event, which will take place on Friday, November 24, from 1 pm to 6 pm, at the Crescent Shopping Centre, is part of the internationally run Law Enforcement Torch Run (L.E.T.R.) Program.

Gardaí in Limerick will join close to 90,000 police professionals in over 35 countries across the world, as they participate as part of a worldwide effort to raise money and awareness for the Special Olympics. 

The charitable venture will see local gardaí play on the age-old stereotype and will be on hand to sell doughnuts as they look to raise “much needed” funding for Special Olympics Munster.

Speaking ahead of the event garda Dyann Carroll said the drive has been very successful in recent years and has raised in excess of €10,000. 

“Last year, we raised over €2,500,” said Garda Carroll. 

“Our motivation is that the Special Olympics is a very special organisation that needs funding and support. We are delighted to get behind it. People can expect a fun and enjoyable atmosphere on the day,” he added. 

The Law Enforcement Torch Run began in 1981 in Wichita, Kansas, in the United States of America, and has stood out as one of the largest grass-roots fundraising movements for the Special Olympics.

Ireland’s first torch run took place in 1989, when members of An Garda Síochána took part in the project, while 1996 marked a special occasion when both An Garda Síochána and the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the predecessor of the PSNI, took part in an all-island Torch Run.