The Dover Police Department partnered with Communities in Schools of Delaware and the Food Bank of Delaware to deliver the Thanksgiving groceries. (Submitted photos/Dover Police Department)

DOVER — Instead of bagging would-be criminals, Dover Police officers delivered boxes of groceries Monday afternoon.

The Dover Police Department delivered 150 Thanksgiving meals complete with frozen turkeys to 150 residences in Dover in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Volunteers, including Dover Police Cadets, delivered meals to 150 residents in Dover Monday.

Police partnered with Communities in Schools of Delaware and the Food Bank of Delaware.

Police vehicles filled with volunteers from the police department and Communities in Schools navigated the downtown streets, led by the Dover Police Department’s motorcycle unit.

Traffic was stopped and volunteers delivered the meals door-to-door along with information about Communities in Schools and the services they provide to families in need.

“It was very rewarding getting to meet people we don’t get to interact with very often and give back to the community” Chief Paul Bernat said in a news release issued Monday evening. “This was a great event to connect with citizens and promote positive community relations in an area that truly needed some good news.”

The goal of the program was to help the department connect with the community with the ultimate hope that developing a positive relationship would help solve and prevent crime in the area.