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Before the funeral for fallen Deputy Mark Stasyuk happens, a group of volunteers with the End of Watch Fund is asking for your help.
They want to make sure every officer attending has food, water and a note of encouragement as they say their goodbyes to one of their own. It's a simple gesture that does not go unnoticed.
"At first, I felt a little weird putting [together] snack bags. I don't know it just didn't seem like enough," said Erin Montgomery, the board president for the End of Watch Fund.
Montgomery's simple idea of making snack bags has grown into a much larger mission.
"We are planning on doing 2,500 snack bags, so that's a lot of notes and we've never got as many as we needed, but we are hoping we can hit that number," Montgomery said.
Montgomery and her group will make the snack bags and leave them for officers attending Staysuk's funeral.
"This is the most heartbreaking part of my career, definitely," Montgomery said.
Montgomery is an officer herself; a detective with the Elk Grove Police Department. She knows what it's like to say goodbye to an officer, so she wanted to help others through the process.
"They get through a very long funeral service and still have hours of a procession in front of them, so they can go 10-12 hours without the chance to stop and eat," Montgomery said.
Her group has done this for other fallen officers, like CHP Officer Kirk Griess whose funeral was in August.
To send a letter or words of encouragement, mail them or drop them off at the front counter of the Elk Grove Police Department at 8400 Laguna Palms Way, Elk Grove, CA 95758.
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