Gym Donates Workout Equipment to Pa. Police, Improving Fitness Room

Officer Jonathan Vidal of the Easton Police Department said exercise for police officers is not only beneficial physically, but also boosts mental health care after a long shift.

A popular gym donated a roomful of equipment to help foster fitness in the Easton Police Department, and the gym owner wants to make similar donations to other first responders.

The department has received the equipment from Planet Fitness, facilitated by the gym’s community coordinator Milan Dalsania and Vidal.

The donation includes nearly 10 machines, dumbbells and barbells, which allows for a full body workout. The donation supplements the few pieces of equipment the department had previously.

Vidal, who has served with the department for eight years and now leads its athletic committee, said the department’s existing fitness room lacked much of what officers needed to train effectively. While searching for ways to improve the space, he contacted a friend who managed a local Planet Fitness, which led to an introduction with Dalsania.

After meeting to discuss the department’s needs, Dalsania agreed to help.

He oversees Planet Fitness locations in Easton, Nazareth, Bethlehem and Mount Pocono. He said community outreach is a key part of his work.

Over the years, Planet Fitness franchises have supported local causes, and Dalsania said he wanted to continue that tradition locally once he learned about the opportunity.

“We want to be part of it. We are here,” Dalsania said.

He explained that Planet Fitness refreshes its cardio equipment about every five years and its strength machines every seven, creating chances to donate older yet quality items. Instead of sending them to a third-party vendor, he decided to give them to the Easton police.

The equipment was delivered in August after nearly a year of planning. Dalsania coordinated transportation and brought in an architect to map out the department’s workout space. Vidal said the delivery went smoothly and was completed within a half hour.

Half of the room is used for defensive tactics training. The department still uses it for this purpose, but it now houses the new Planet Fitness equipment.

Since the installation, the gym has become a daily part of officers’ routines. Vidal said the officers don’t have to travel to a different gym to complete workouts, and they have the equipment they need in the department.

Many officers use it before or after shifts to stay active and unwind.

“This is a safe space for us,” Vidal said. “It’s a place where we can come and decompress and just kind of throw away all our troubles.”

Dalsania invites other police, fire and emergency departments to contact him.

“We do want our community members to reach out to us if they’re looking for the equipment,” he said. “We are thrilled to be part of someone else’s journey.”

Vidal said the Easton Police Department is extremely grateful for the partnership and hopes it inspires other agencies to follow suit.

“We were blessed by his generosity,” he said. “We’re the first police department in the area to receive this kind of donation like this, and [Dalsania] wants to continue to do so.”

Departments or organizations interested in receiving donated gym equipment can contact Dalsania by visiting any of his four Planet Fitness locations and asking for the community coordinator, or by email at [email protected].

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