Beards with benefits: Officers quit shaving to raise money for charity

– Contributed photo from 2019 No Shave November fundraiser

Beards with benefits: Officers quit shaving to raise money for charity

HART – If you’re beginning to notice that many of our local police officers are looking a little scruffy, it’s because they’re participating in “No Shave November” to raise money for a local charity.

Oceana County Sheriff Craig Mast said he decided to begin the campaign a little earlier this year, which could result in longer beards and more money for the Crystal Valley Care Fund. 

Mast challenges his deputies and officers to quit shaving through the month of November. Those in “violation” of the department’s clean shaven policy have to pay a fee of $75 for “violating” the policy. All funds raised go to the Crystal Valley Care Fund. Citizens in the community are also encouraged to donate in sponsorship of a deputy’s beard. Call the sheriff’s office at 231-873-2121 for more information or stop in at the sheriff’s office located at 216 Lincoln St., Hart.

The sheriff’s office chose CVCF because the organization “has a special place in our hearts,” Mast said. “They’ve helped a lot of people in the community, including some of our own.”

OCSO raised $2,200 last year and nearly $3,400 in 2021 for the Crystal Valley Care Fund. CVCF, established in 1992, is a non-profit organization that helps Oceana County families in need due to a house fire or catastrophic illness.

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