Benefit lunch to aid ailing police officer
The Biloxi Police Department will be serving plates of red beans and rice with sausage and salad for lunch Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to raise money for retired officer Mitch Roberts, who is recovering from a stroke.
Those interested can dine at the West End Hose Company No. 3, the Biloxi Fire Museum, on Howard Avenue, or orders can be picked up or delivered.
Price is $7 a plate. To place an order in advance or schedule a delivery, call the department's Community Relations Division at 228-385-3033.
Roberts served as a patrolman in the Biloxi Police Department from 1994 through 2015, and Biloxi Police Chief John Miller said he played a vital role in Katrina recovery operations.
"Mitch was instrumental in setting up and running our logistical support center in the weeks and months after Katrina," Miller said. "We had commandeered Nativity Elementary School, adjacent to the police station, and it served as a place for meals, for accepting and dispersing supplies and for a variety of purposes in those hectic days. Mitch is the guy who was in charge of the equipment. He could fix the generator, or the air conditioner, and essentially keep the lights on.
"I understand Mitch is indeed recovering from the stroke," Miller said, "but I understand he's moving slow and having difficulty getting around. This is a great chance for the community to help defray his medical expenses, and we hope a good number of people are able to turn out or will call in an order. We can and will deliver."