The New Bedford Police Union Family Fun Festival is next month, and you'll be seeing advertisements for it in an unconventional way.

The Police Union is employing former panhandlers through Ed Pacheco's initiative with his business, Places To Go, to wear sandwich board signs promoting the festival.

Police Chief Joe Cordeiro is supportive of the initiative, telling WBSM News it puts the City in a better light. "When you have tourists coming in and all they see is people with a carboard sign, that really doesn't tell the story about the City of New Bedford and the people that we have here," said Cordeiro. "So it's part of the story because people are helping them out, because we're a caring people."

The sign-holders will be advertising the festival over the next few weeks. The festival is July 8-10 at Buttonwood Park.

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