The MI Back the Blue community group provided a Thanksgiving dinner to show its appreciation for the Mercer Island Police Department, featuring, from left, August Owen, Kristina Lum, Sgt. George Schmalhofer, Cpl. Samantha Hammer and Nick Palandri. “On behalf of the officers who spent their Thanksgiving holiday at work, I want to express my sincere thanks for your exceptional generosity in providing them with a wonderful Thanksgiving day dinner,” said Chief Ed Holmes in a letter to the group. “Working in a community that supports their police department means so much to all of us. You all play a significant role in making this a great place to work as a police officer.” The group members are: Carv Zwingle, Susan Lund, Gary Robinson, Fay Wang, Laura and Mae Brado, Corinna Sager, Terry Wong and Christina Hogue. Courtesy photo