Want to get Halloween pumpkins and help first responders? Here’s where to go
“The real sheriff?” 8-year-old George Bogetti exclaimed Wednesday morning when he learned Stanislaus County Sheriff Jeff Dirkse would be visiting the pumpkin stand he and his family put together to help first responders.
When Dirkse showed up a few minutes later at the stand along Highway 132 — where 100 percent of the proceeds will go to first responders — George and his younger brother and sister were eager to give the real sheriff a tour. Dressed in cowboy boots and matching fall outfits pinned with honorary junior deputy badges, George and 5-year-old twins Preston and Sutton pointed to the orange, green and white pumpkins they helped grow.
During the visit, Dirkse offered the kids some advice from personal experience about removing their badges before washing their clothes; George suggested a belt buckle would add to the authenticity of the sheriff’s look; Sutton showed off the gold glitter pumpkins she painted and Preston recited the “cowboy” code of conduct to anyone who would listen.
“It says never hit, never punch, never do bad things — that’s what police officers don’t do,” Preston said. Other versions also include respecting your mom and dad.
Dad James Bogetti is the manager at Mapes Ranch and he and his wife Coren do some farming of their own but this is the first year they’ve grown pumpkins.
“Its started out as a little college fund for George but with all the good work of our first responders we felt that it was our Good Samaritan work to help out those that keep us all safe, especially in this day and age,” James Bogetti said.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit in March, adding even more pressure to the already difficult jobs of first responders, James Bogetti said the family decided to donate all the proceeds to them. He said George was happy to oblige and his college fund won’t suffer.
The family set up the stand on a friend’s property next to the Twin River Saloon on Highway 132 and Hart Road. It is open 24/7 on a merit based system with envelopes supplied to drop cash directly into the stand.
They put up the stand on Oct. 1 and already have generated $1,000, mostly from friends and family in the area but they hope to earn much more before Halloween.
In addition to the Sheriff’s Department, Bogetti said funds will go the Woodland Avenue Fire Department and healthcare workers.
Bogetti said he still needs to reach out to the fire chief and medical personnel about where they’d want the money to go. For his office, Dirkse has recommended the Employee Foundation, which helps employees and their families with scholarships or during times of hardships like illness or death.
“It is nice to know how appreciated we are for what it is we do every day,” he said of the Bogetti family’s efforts.
Bogetti said he wants to teach his children to give back to their community so they hope to make the pumpkin stand an annual endeavor.
This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
