SALISBURY — “This is one of the very few professions where people put on work equipment intended to keep them alive.”

Both Salisbury Police Chief Patrick PJ Smith and Deputy Chief Brian Stallings made that comment at Wednesday’s board meeting of the Salisbury Police Foundation. The organization is a not-for-profit group that set as its mission last year, “To promote, solicit and distribute funds from donor support to enhance police services, and provide connection between the Salisbury Police Department and Salisbury residents.”

The mission sounds somewhat benign, yet it is anything but. The group is celebrating one year in existence, and President John Struzick gets emotional when asked how he would describe what the group does to someone unfamiliar.

“We want to help do the things that the city’s budget just cannot cover,” he said eventually. “We don’t just ask the members of the department what they need, we ask what they want. And then we see if we can do something about their requests.”

Over the foundation’s first year, part of its efforts have been letting those who work in the department know who they are and what they can offer. In addition, not only have they worked to provide a new exercise facility in the department, but they are offering coverage of the balance of the co-pay that insurance doesn’t pick up for mental health care.

“The EPA offers officers three free mental health visits,” said Chief Smith. “After that, you have to pay the co-pay, which is not inexpensive. An officer for whom every penny matters may not continue to seek out the help they need because they can’t afford it. To have the foundation cover that has been an incredible benefit.”

Smith pointed out that it isn’t just the police officers that are affected by their jobs, but their families, and the importance of mental health being addressed is a tremendous help.

“Police officers miss a lot of important moments — birthdays, anniversaries, sporting events, performances, the list goes on, because we are never closed,” he said. “And because we are dealing with crisis all day long, when we go home and hear about how the dog was missing for two hours, we can seem uncaring or indifferent, because to us, that’s not a critical situation. Having resources that give officers a chance to get some balance back, without taking it home to family, is a huge asset.”

The foundation is currently exploring the possibility of providing bicycles to the department for recreational use. The department has a bicycle squad and Smith and Stallings said having bikes for officers to ride during exercise would go a long way in helping officers prepare for the rigorous training and qualification for the bike squad.

Each year, the foundation intends to repeat the one community fundraiser that started last year, a luncheon at Catawba College Crystal Lounge, that this year will be held on Sept. 21. Last year, there was a crowd and this year the goal is to fill all available 130 seats again. Tickets are $250 per person, but people can make a donation in any amount directly to the foundation as well.

In addition, Friends of Rowan (FOR), another non-profit organization based on improving the quality of life for residents of Rowan County by providing financial support to a number of local organizations, has agreed to participate in the fundraising efforts, and any donation made through FOR will then be doubled.

The foundation is also always looking for people interested in serving on the board, and about three months ago, Brenda Wood, wife of Gerry Wood, joined the panel.

“I know a lot of people know our son was a police officer in Canada, but not many know that his partner died in his arms,” said Brenda. “It took a year of therapy, and he’s been able to deal with it, but if he didn’t have that available, or couldn’t afford it, I cannot imagine how he would have managed. Being the mother of a cop for 27 years and knowing all he went through, I want to help however I can.”

The Woods had, for 21 years, partnered with the Salisbury police to gift new bikes and helmets to children in need every Christmas. They got the idea from their son, as a way of helping to let an initial interaction between police officers and children be a positive one.

Joining the foundation board seemed like the natural next step, said Brenda.

As time goes on, the goal is to continue to create both fundraising projects to help fund projects, and to gather suggestions and requests from the department. The foundation has joined with GNC and Salisbury Rowan Runners to host a 5K run, aptly named Donuts for Dollars, on Oct. 7. The event offers a 5AK Run and Walk, and a 1/2 mile fun run, all of which kick off from the GNC store at 243 Faith Road in Salisbury. The race cost is $30 for the 5K and $10 for the fun run, and anyone interested can sign up at runsignup.com by searching for the event.

Anyone interested in serving on the foundation’s board can email psfoundation@salisburync.gov, and more information on the foundation itself and how to donate is available on the city of Salisbury’s website, salisburync.gov.