The Salvation Army, Target & local Law Enforcement join hands for ‘Shop with a Cop'
NOTE: This is a tremendous success story, as it shows what happens when a community rallies around a special event for deserving children & youth...
Whenever you can put a smile on a child’s face, you know everything is okay. And there were plenty of smiles on the faces of 40 young lives at the recent Salvation Army of Spokane’s ‘Shop with a Cop’ event at the North Target store in Spokane
Officers from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, and Spokane and Spokane Valley Police Departments, served as chaperones and helped children from The Salvation Army’s family shelter and emergency foster care placement programs in Spokane choose $100 worth of new clothes and shoes for the new school year. Everyone wore masks and followed CDC guidelines while shopping. Whether the 2020-21 school year begins virtually or in-class, these students still need new clothes and shoes.
Participants also received snacks, goodie bags, visited a real SWAT vehicle and helped sign Thank You posters for Target and the law enforcement agencies.
Major Ken Perine, corps officer of The Salvation Army, said that for some of these children, this is the first time they’ve ever owned new clothing items, which also helps with their self-esteem.
Another key element to this annual Spokane event is the positive interaction between the children and the local law enforcement officers. This event helps serve as a teachable moment where these young lives learn that they can trust the men and women in uniform.
Also supporting this spree were Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl.
Members of the law enforcement enjoyed the event as much as the children. Proof was seen in the many officers that attended this back-to-school shopping spree again this year. Beyond that, though, you could see in the way the officers interacted with these young shoppers how important and rewarding this experience was for them, too!
“This is the greatest. You get to come out here and shop with little kids, maybe pre-teens, give them a little smile on their face(s) and get them some new clothing they may not have had,” said Officer Kim Razey of the Spokane Police Department in a KHQ-TV News interview. “This is probably one of the best ways to interact with inner-city kids.”
The Salvation Army thanks Target and the local community for the generous donations to make this event a reality, as well as the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and the Spokane and Spokane Valley Police Departments for spending quality time as chaperones to assist these precious young children and youth.
The Salvation Army has numerous programs in Spokane that the community can rally around – whether it be through volunteerism or financial donations. Info: 509-325-6810 or www.makingspokanebetter.org