LOGAN — Law enforcement agencies from across Cache Valley came together Saturday for their annual Shop with a Cop event, bringing Christmas joy to 40 local children.
Each child or teenager was paired with an officer or deputy and given a gift card to spend on presents for themselves and their families. Funding for the event came from generous donations from local businesses and community members.
North Park Police Chief Kent Goodrich again oversaw this year’s event. He said Shop with a Cop gives law enforcement a chance to fulfill there mission of doing good for the community, and reaching out to those who are in great need.
“These these kids definitely have some struggles in their life,” said Chief Goodrich. “I think that’s one of the best things about it is that we get to help build a good memory and a good experience for them that hopefully will serve them years down the road with their interactions with law enforcement, with their kids’ interactions with law enforcement. This is a good foundational experience that we’re giving them, and it’s neat to see the kids and the officers interact like that.”
The children selected to participate were chosen with assistance from staff at The Family Place, a local resource center.
The event kicked off with a communal breakfast, where each child ate with their officer or deputy, who compiled a shopping list of the kid’s needs and wants. Chief Goodrich noted how this year, Logan Regional Hospital offered their new cafeteria and kitchen staff to feed everyone.
“In our quarterly meeting with law enforcement, the (hospital administration) were talking about events that were coming up, and I mentioned that we had the Shop with a Cop event, and immediately they asked if they could help and what could they do. And so as I started to explain it, they were insistent on helping. They were like, we’d love to help, please let us be part of that. So Logan Regional ended up providing breakfast this year for us, and they had a little hat for the kids as they came in. They also offered the use of their helipad. So all the kids were able to to stand out close to the helipad and watch Santa come in and be delivered directly for their event.”
From the hospital, a large procession of emergency vehicles, complete with lights and sirens, escorted the kids to the north Walmart. The children rode alongside their law enforcement companions.
While some children headed to the toy department to begin their shopping, many were seen looking for warm clothes, blankets, and other necessities for their families. Others asked to buy gifts for their parents.
In addition to the items the children picked out, Goodrich announced that each family would receive a food basket from local businesses.
“It has a gift card for groceries and then several businesses around donated an item. Lowers donated a ham, Kneaders donated bread. We had Cox Honey Land who donated honey. Several of the grocery stores around had food items, crackers and peanut butter and jelly and things like that, just basic food items that we could put together in a kit. We had a local dentist as well who provided toothbrushes and toothpaste for the kids for a little hygiene kit that we could put in there.”
Shop with a Cop has been a yearly tradition in Cache Valley that goes back decades. It is one of the few events where all the various law enforcement agencies come together.
Volunteers set up gift wrapping stations in the front of the store, to wrap each child’s presents when they were done shopping.
Chief Goodrich said it warmed his heart seeing the generosity from everyone in the community.
“I’m overwhelmed by the support that we have from the community. We had businesses in the valley. We had businesses outside the valley. Nucor being one who donated a quite a large amount to help fund this.”
Participating agencies included North Park, Logan City, Smithfield, and Utah State Police Departments; Cache County Sheriff’s deputies; the Utah Highway Patrol; and officers from the Department of Natural Resources and the Division of Wildlife Resources.