On cold winter nights while he was on patrol, now-retired police officer Larry Shockney would duck into Baltimore County convenience stores to buy coffee and snacks for the homeless.

“When you see how others live, you can’t help but feel so grateful,” he says.

“Think about your family first,” his wife would jokingly chide him. But Shockney, now manager of the McDaniel College post office, has a heart big enough for his family, strangers suffering in the cold, and anyone else who needs help.

Shockney has, over the years, raised more than $400,000 for kids with leukemia, a friend who needed a heart transplant, a family that lost their home in a fire and innumerable others. He is a collector of toys for needy children, master of the silent auction, and an expert fundraiser.

“I jump in with two feet when I see it,” he says. “I feel like God has blessed me in many ways, and this is a way I can give back.”

With his grey hair and warm smile, Shockney looks like he would have been the type of cop to give a warning instead of a ticket. His office is filled with accolades for volunteer service and pictures of his family – two sons who graduated from McDaniel and went on to become a firefighter and a police officer, and a daughter who works with an organization that helps cancer survivors.

Now, this former cop is hoping to help one of his own. After seeing a story in the news about a Baltimore County police cadet who, at age 20, was diagnosed with a brain tumor, Shockney contacted the Baltimore Ravens and the TV show “America’s Most Wanted” to find ways to raise money for the young man’s medical care.

“I would like to think that someone would do it for me,” he says. “People can always say ‘no,’ but it doesn’t hurt to ask.”

For those who have been helped by Shockney, it has made all the difference.