Dartmouth’s Hope Evangelical Community Church was joined by multiple police agencies on Saturday, Aug. 27 for a “Family Fun Day” on the church grounds.

The event featured a cookout, lawn games, bouncy castles, and free haircuts and fully-stocked backpacks to get kids ready for the school year.

Haircuts were provided by local barbers and salons, and the backpacks were purchased by the church and filled with supplies like notebooks and pencils.

“They’ve got everything you need for the first day of school,” said the church’s youth leader, Marquis Cruz.

The family fun day is an annual feature of the Church’s calendar and Pastor Derek Atkinson said that they decided to invite the police to join this year to try and “bring back the commodity of law enforcement in the community.”

Atkinson added that including police in community events could help “heal what’s been fractured in the last few years,” citing stigmas about law enforcement and racism.

The event was attended by members of the Massachusetts State Police, Dartmouth Police, and the Bristol County Sheriff’s office.

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III attended the event himself, taking time to chat with officers and community members.

He said he supported police involvement in events like the family fun day because they “bring law enforcement and the community together.”

“It’s good for people to interact with the police and interact in a friendly way,” he said.