(ABC 6 News) – The Salvation Army and local area law enforcement helps communities come together to share a meal on Thursday morning in Rochester.

Deputies from the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Rochester Police Department served and shared a waffle breakfast with the community at the Salvation Army social services center.

For law enforcement officers, it’s a chance for them to get to know the community they serve.

“Our role is to address issues of crime and violence, that’s what we’re trained to do,” said James Ratelle of RPD’s community action team, “so when we sit down and talk with them, we’re not just looking at their behavior that one moment; we have a better understanding of where they came from and the struggles that they’re having.”

It was the third year that the Salvation Army invited law enforcement to serve its clients, in the hopes of creating positive relationships between these groups.