Back the Blue Idaho’s Christmas Dinner tradition began in 2016 with one family’s simple act of kindness. Joe Anderson and his family wanted to “redeem Christmas,” to make the day about giving back. So they prepared a home-cooked holiday meal and delivered it to the officers, deputies and dispatchers working Christmas Day at the Meridian Police Department.

That first dinner became a tradition. For six years, the Andersons and their friends served Meridian PD every Christmas. In 2022, the program grew to include the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office and the Nampa Police Department. Today, Back the Blue Idaho serves departments across the Treasure Valley.

Ten years later, the purpose hasn’t changed: to remember and honor those who are working while the rest of us are home with our families.