Last week, the 52nd Precinct Community Council held its annual Fellowship Recognition Breakfast at Monroe College. Council President Brenda Caldwell-Paris says the event is one of the two most important things — along with the National Night Out affair every August — that the precinct council puts together.

It’s a marathon love fest lasting more than three hours. The council honors so many different people and groups that the program look like a high school graduation roll call.

They give out awards and plaques to many of the precinct’s local political, business and organizational partners and leaders. Inspector Joseph Dowling, the commander of the precinct, also has a chance to honor his troops publicly.

At first glance, it might appear excessive and fluffy at a time when police and community relations are not great. Stop and frisk tactics have some residents scared to walk around their own neighborhoods for fear they might be stopped for no reason other than the color of their skin. It’s tougher than ever for police to get witnesses to speak up, even about violent crimes that happen in broad daylight in front of dozens of people.

But the police and community need each other to combat crime and keep our streets safe. It’s a symbiotic relationship that needs nourishing. And the council breakfast helps feed that relationship. It also introduces us to some often overlooked heroism.

Dowling talked about his small but vital domestic violence unit led by Sergeant Gary Franklin, a hulking man who looks like he could play linebacker for the New York Giants. Franklin, who’s been in charge of the unit for 12 years, intervenes at some of the most sensitive and tense times in the lives of residents. He’s also extremely effective. His size helps.

Often people don’t want to open the door and let police in on their internal squabbles. But, Dowling says, “When they see him, they come out.”

It’s good to have people like Sgt. Franklin in the precinct.

One of the civilians recognized was Sally Dunford, the tireless director of West Bronx Housing and Neighborhood Resource Center on Bainbridge Avenue. Dunford lives and breathes the organization she founded 20 years ago. If you’re in trouble with your housing, Sally’s crew will help you. They’re not miracle workers, but they’re close.

She shared the honor with her equally tireless staff, including Jane Chaney (who works 21 hours a week, for free) and Ilectra Scott-Cook, who Dunford says is the best person in New York City at preventing evictions.

Funding is always a concern, but West Bronx Housing is needed now more than ever. Dunford says when she first started two decades ago, they served about 300 people each year. Lately, they’ve been seeing 1,400 clients annually. Just last month, see saw 48 people in a single week. Dunford spent much of the breakfast tracking down elected officials and alerting them to the latest issues and problems.

Keep up the good work, Sally.