"We appreciate what they do:" Neighbors show support for first responders in tasty way

ST. FRANCIS -- It was meant as a simple "thank you" for police and firefighters in St. Francis. But one family's idea to bring in lunch quickly turned into an all-day banquet.

Terry Poffenroth and his wife Shannon are the ones behind what happened at the St. Francis Civic Center on Monday, July 25th.

"I wanted to do something good to show our officers and our community we appreciate what they do," said Shannon Poffenroth.

So the Poffenroth family scheduled a day to cater lunch. But then they thought...

"Let's make it all three shifts," said Terry Poffenroth.

They said, why not get more neighbors involved -- so they floated the idea on Facebook as well. In just a few days, more than two dozen people pledged to bring in a dish.

"It's almost overwhelming the amount of people showing up for this. It's amazing," said Duane Mazuer of the St. Francis Police Department.

Plates started showing up at 6:00 a.m. on Monday. By noon, the police department was running out of space.

"This just goes above and beyond and shows us just how much we're cared for in this community," Mazuer said.

"So we're going to take some more stuff over there," said Jennifer Cherubini, a volunteer.

A short time later, the neighbors set off for the fire department to feed a few more hungry souls.

"Everything that police and firefighters have been through in this country, we need to support our guys," Cherubini said.