New York State Trooper Calvin Saletta accepts a gift bag from Back the Blue organizer Patty Valentine and volunteer Lori Hernandez on Tuesday. Photo by Jo Ward

Patty Valentine, along with volunteers, helped spread the love this week to local police officers in the community.

Called “Operation: Back the Blue,” the campaign sought to deliver gift bags to the men and women that serve each day helping people. These bags were a token to show that people cared for what they do each day.

“There are many ways to describe the job of a police officer, some would say thankless, but as a child I watched my father work and retire from the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department and as an adult my brother,” Valentine said. “I would say now, thankful, prideful, one whom would put their lives on the line for a complete stranger, justice, humanity, service, and on and on. Given the times today I felt the need to let these men, women, and K9 officers know ‘We care,’ they are needed, they are loved and appreciated.”

Valentine started the campaign “Operation: Back the Blue” about a month ago, reaching out to people all across the United States.

“I wanted to do a gift bag for each and every single officer in the county — we did our best,” Valentine said. “We had people donate items to fill the bags from Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Illinois and of course our local community members.”

Volunteers help fill the bags for two days straight in her shop, Lady of the Lake in Fredonia, and then on Tuesday she along with Lori Hernandez visited every station in the county delivering the bags.

“The expression on the officers’ faces were priceless,” Valentine said. “They were very humbled, shocked and grateful. One even stated ‘how nice it was to know that there were still people out there that still cared.’ I replied ‘There are more of us out there than you know, and this is our thank you to you.’

The two delivered just shy of 300 bags throughout the county, and Valentine is continuing to accept donations at her shop located at 29 West Main Street Fredonia to do another round of gift bags.