Tip For a Cause

It’s always fun to dine out, but imagine going out to eat at your local diner and being seated and waited on by a California Highway Patrol Officer.

On Friday, local law enforcement officers are scheduled to volunteer as celebrity wait staff at Stacks Restaurant in Downtown Campbell, helping to deliver food and refill drinks for tips to benefit the Special Olympics of Northern California.

The event is part of the well-known “Tip-A-Cop” fundraiser held by the San Jose-Campbell area office of the CHP. Proceeds from the event will go toward providing free year-round training for athletes competing in 12 different sports.

According to the event flyer, the Tip-A-Cop program brings together local law enforcement personnel and Special Olympic Athletes for a day of food, fun and awareness. It is a program under the national Law Enforcement Torch Run, a national movement by public safety agencies to raise money and awareness for the Special Olympics.

According to Stacks' General Manager Jim Greeley, the restaurant, well-known for its pancakes, will be expecting about 600 guests for the event.

“We love this event, we host it about two to three times per year,” Greeley said. “The people have a good time; the cops get a chance to talk to the guests and build community with them. It’s a chance for the police to interact with the community to do something positive, and not negative.”

According to its Web site, over 3,000 law enforcement personnel from several different agencies participate in the Torch Run campaign. It is a year round fundraising campaign that culminates every year at the Special Olympics Northern California Summer Games in June.

The “Tip-A-Cop” fundraiser will be Friday Nov. 18 at Stacks restaurant, located at 139 E. Campbell Ave., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.