Donations being accepted for Shop with a Cop event
Published 3:27 pm Monday, October 31, 2022
- File Photo Even officers need help every now and then. Here, one officer asks an employee of the store where to find a particular item during the first annual Shop with a Cop in 2019.
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By Danielle Morin
Elizabethton Star
Elizabethton’s annual Shop with a Cop program will take place again this year. Officers from the Elizabethton Police Department, Carter County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Valley Authority, and even the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency will come together on Dec. 5 to help those less fortunate in Carter County.
School counselors and school resource officers from Carter County schools select children they identify as being in-need, most of which struggle below the poverty level. Those chosen children and their families will then gather at Elizabethton High School for food, crafts, and a meet and greet with participating law enforcement officers.
The social event is followed by a bus ride across the street to Walmart, where each child or family will be paired with an officer to shop for themselves. Children are given $125 to purchase things like toys, clothing, or basic hygiene needs that they may otherwise not be able to afford. One event coordinator, Cindy Duffy, explained how they have to oftentimes remind the children that the event is for them, because many want to use the money to buy gifts for their parents and families, remarking, “This is truly the most giving community.”
In addition to the shopping spree, children will also leave the program with a $50 food box packed with everything they may need to make a memorable Christmas meal. The program is aimed to ensure that everyone, regardless of their situation, is able to enjoy Christmas.
Donations are currently being accepted to fund the Shop with a Cop program. Anyone interested in donating can do so by contacting Cherie Ellison with Elizabethton Police Department at 423-297-1714, or by contacting Dan Kneaskern with Carter County Sheriff’s Office at 423-542-1845.
