"This is twofold - residents see the Predators in a positive light when they see our logo, and the same with the police," King said. "When they have the officers next to us in the community, they can see that we're united and both out giving goodwill to the community, and it's not a bad thing to have these two partners out in their neighborhood. We're here doing great things to be a welcome sight, not a negative thing."
"My team, we just got done doing the 'Trunk or Treat' with Halloween, and every day, we're out here," Kedzierski said. "We'll drive around in the cars, but also, we'll get out on foot patrol and walk through the areas, make face-to-face contact, and just say, 'Hi, how's everybody doing?' [We just want to be] very visible to the public, hopefully be able to achieve better community relations and answer whatever service they need."
Officers came toting more than just turkey and fixings - they passed out candy, Preds t-shirts and stickers to children in the neighborhood - and surprise after pleasant surprise came as a knock on the door brought a bountiful meal for families to enjoy.
And when residents pull their turkey out of the oven on Thanksgiving with their new Preds potholder, perhaps they'll do so with an extra dose of gratitude for a pair of organizations striving to make Nashville a better place.
"Thanksgiving is what brings people together, and that's what we do at the hockey games - we bring 17,000 people together," King said. "So, if we can bring a family together over a meal at their table and bring goodwill and happiness, it's just a small token, but we know how far a solid meal can go for people."