Officer Jason Giallorenzo of the Adams Township Police Department has been working with Kiko since June. The pair may appear at an event later this summer.

Mars residents showed their support for the Adams Township Police Department's new K-9 program at Monday's Adams Township Board of Supervisors meeting, when Fran Martinelli presented a check for $2,550 on behalf of Mars Agway to benefit the ongoing initiative to acquire and train a police dog.

The funds were raised at the Mars Agway Open House on June 19 through a gift basket raffle.

“I would like to thank Mars Agway and all those who were involved with this fundraiser,” Martinelli said.

The Mars Agway chooses a different cause each year and donates the raffle funds to it, Martinelli said, and this year's fundraiser for the K-9 unit was its second most successful raffle ever.

Mars Agway owner Amy Werner and manager Katie Niklewicz also helped with the organization of the fundraiser, but were unable to attend the board meeting to present the check.

Adams Township Board of Supervisors Chairman Russell R. Ford thanked Martinelli and said that the fundraising was greatly appreciated by everyone on the board. “These donations have been unbelievable,” Ford said.

Officer Jason Giallorenzo, who has worked with the Adams Township Police Department since 2016, was chosen earlier this year to work with the new K-9 unit. He has been training with the dog, Kiko, since June 21.

Assistant Chief Robert Scanlon, who accepted the check at the meeting, said that the unit could be fully in service by August, provided that Kiko and Giallorenzo are a good match.

“Really, nobody has seen the dog yet, because we just got the dog,” Scanlon said. “This dog has to work out with Jason, so it may not end up being this same dog in the end, but right now, it looks like it's going to be good.”

The project has been in talks since before COVID-19, but was put on hold because of the pandemic. The board of supervisors unanimously approved the initiative back in March.

“We've never had a K-9 before — this is the first,” Scanlon said. “We kind of had a lot in place before COVID-19, but we just had to finalize it.”

Beyond the funds that the Agway raised, Scanlon said a number of community members have also sent in individual checks. These funds, according to a Facebook post from the police department, will be used for the purpose of training for both Giallorenzo and the K-9, training supplies and gear, outfitting the patrol vehicle, vet costs, a ballistic vest, and other daily life expenses for the K-9.

Scanlon hopes to hold an event later in the summer at the Mars Agway where people can meet Giallorenzo and Kiko.