WESTFIELD — Because police officers are often the first to interact with families or individuals who have found themselves struggling to make ends meet, which often means putting off buying food or personal hygiene products, the Westfield Police Department is stepping up to help.

“We want to bridge the gap between being hungry and them getting the resources they need like at either a food pantry or soup kitchen,” said Department Officer Matthew Preuss who is leading Project Blue Plate effort that was announced last week.

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