BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — A friendly competition was held Saturday (Aug. 1) between the Benton County Sheriff's Office and the Beaver Lake Fire Department to see who could collect the most school supplies for the upcoming school year.
“It’s really nice to see the community come together, especially during this time,” said Deputy McCrary from the Benton County Sheriff's Office.
With school set to start in just a few weeks, Dollar General in Rogers hosted Battle of the Badges in hopes of getting as many donations as possible for the upcoming year.
“Our area is a very generous area so I’m looking forward to a great turnout, we usually do over 80 backpacks,” said Hank Euler from the Beaver Lake Fire Department.
This is the fourth year for the friendly competition and each year they are able to collect around $4,000 for school supplies to give to children in our area.
“I’m just hoping for a very successful day and don’t have to go out on the water with our boat and rescue somebody because it’s sitting right here on land,” Euler said.
With the economic impact COVID-19 has had on many families in our area, supplies for students are needed now more than ever.
“Well, of course with this year being a pandemic, I’m not sure how the turnout will be this year with people wanting to come out but we do have boxes placed in the lobby of the sheriff's office until August 15th, so anybody who wants to donate supplies can come drop them off,” McCrary said.
“Having the fire department and police department here with some of our equipment gives people the opportunity to bring their kids to see what we’ve got and just enjoy it and it’s a lot of fun especially for the children,” Euler said.