Members of the Cartersville Ruritan Club appreciate the law enforcement community who work in Cumberland County — and they’ve decided to publicly show it.

The organization recently honored members of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and troopers with the Virginia State Police who labor daily to keep the county’s residents and visitors safe.

Cartersville — in the far northern portion of the county nestled against the James River — is a quiet place, but, does, from time to time, summon police and fire and rescue staff in emergencies.

“We try to recognize folks who seem so willing to help in the Cartersville area,” said Bruce Robinson, who serves as secretary of the club. “And we thought that the law enforcement just seems to go out of their way to do whatever they can to help us.”

Robinson said Sheriff Darrell Hodges and his deputies are always willing to volunteer to help with parking for events by organizations in Cartersville and “anything we thought we might need help with.”

“It’s actually always a good feeling when your community helps tell your folks how much they appreciate them,” Hodges said. “I know it’s always a morale booster for the guys. It’s just a really good feeling that your community is supporting you.”

Not only were members of the sheriff’s office recognized, but law enforcement with Virginia State Police, which backs up deputies often, responding to traffic accidents.

“It’s to show our appreciation of law enforcement and the job they do,” said Fred Shumaker, who serves as president of the club. “We hope to make it an annual event.”

Emergency communications dispatchers, too, were recognized and thanked for their service.

“This is reaffirming that they have our support,” he said.

According to Robinson, police recognize “our mission is to do good for the Cartersville area. We raise money, of course, for scholarships. We find ourselves providing funds for families who, maybe someone has lost a job or someone needs food, we try to build up our community giving through information that we get about people who have fallen on hard times.”

To continue its mission to help others, this year Ruritans are instituting an activity to take Christmas presents to about 15 families in the Cartersville area.

“We didn’t want them to feel that we didn’t appreciate them,” Robinson said, referencing recent reports of violence against both police and civilians. “A lot of that seems to be some of what’s been going on. There seems to be this idea that because of unfortunate deaths with policemen and citizens that everybody has it in for the cops.”