Sunday, February 17, 2008
An estimated 200 children participated.
BY JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN — As a Youngstown Police Department detective sergeant, Chuck Swanson certainly has the doughnut-eating chops to stack up against just about anyone.
Nonetheless, 17-year-old Benjamin Davis of Gypsy Lane, a senior at McDonald High School, managed to eat half a doughnut more in three minutes Saturday afternoon.
Three members of the police department had just challenged three civilians to a doughut-eating contest at the Northside Weed and Seed’s Criminal Justice Fair at Heart Reach Ministries on Redondo Road.
And the police lost.
Swanson managed to cram down 61⁄2 doughnuts. Davis gobbled seven.
The contest was the highlight of the fair, which began at 11 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m., for Xavia King, 11, of Youngstown and her cousins from Liberty: Kionna McQueen, 11, Brieauna Bunn, 12, and Brieauna’s twin brother, Brailyn.
“We came to have fun and see the doughnuts,” said Xavia. “We thought the cops would eat the most, but they didn’t.”
So, what the heck happened?
“I had to do that community relations thing — let the civilians win,” Swanson explained.
Indeed, community relations was the purpose of the fair, which an estimated 200 children attended.
Kids and cops mingled to get to know one another and to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community, said Tierney Woodruff of the Weed and Seed group.
Weed and Seed, a federally funded grant program, works to stem violence and improve the community.
On the back of Woodruff’s shirt, she sported the group’s motto: Dedicated to weeding out crime, seeding back into the community, touching hearts, reaching minds.
And you thought it had to do with gardening projects? You aren’t alone. A lot of people think that, she said.
The justice fair featured the YPD Bomb Unit and robot; McGruff the Crime Dog; YPD’s police dogs; and a skit by PANDA — Prevent and Neutralize Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
The FBI had a presence there, as did Youngstown State University Police and the Mahoning County Juvenile Justice Center.
Unison Health Care signed people up for Medicaid, and block watch groups recruited members, said Woodruff and Terri Bryant, Weed and Seed program coordinator.
A basset hound from Canines for Compassion, a volunteer group based at St. Elizabeth Health Center, did its meeting and greeting by accepting head pats.
And the Youngstown Police Athletic Association took applications for its program, which offers recreational and educational activities for youngsters.
People who had community service hours to perform manned the games.
The food, including sausage sandwiches, hot dogs and juice, was free.
And the company was good. “They’re [law enforcement] very nice for coming out and being with kids,” Xavia said.
starmack@vindy.com