The Annual Shop with A Cop will take place this year on Saturday, November 15 with a free breakfast, followed by a patrol car shuttle to Walmart to do some serious holiday shopping for locally selected children in the Castle Country area.
“Shop with A Cop, it is a great program, especially for our community. We get a lot of community involvement and a lot of community donations that help us out,” said Program Coordinator, Price PD Sgt. Kelly Maynes. “We’re selecting kids that if they didn’t have this may not get anything for Christmas. So, we go thru a lot of different avenues and our patrol officers that are on the street, they’re responding to calls with these kids.” Not only are officers submitting names to the program but the Shop with A Cop program works with United Way of Eastern Utah and the local school district.
Over the years as the event takes place at the local Walmart, customers inside the store observe the sea of officers alongside the excited children doing holiday shopping that they immediately want to make a cash donation towards the cause. “Chief Drolc and I sat down to talk about a way we could kind of circumvent this – So, thru the Utility Department at Price City we set up an account strictly for Shop with A Cop for donations to where anybody in the community can come in and make a donation through the Utilities Office,” explained Sgt. Maynes. The funds to conduct the event each year is strictly through various grants and numerous donations from the businesses and community members. Any individuals who wish to make a donation may do so during the Utility Office’s regular business hours of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday and upon request a charitable receipt may be obtained for tax purposes.
“It’s a good program. There is a lot of work involved in getting it all set up but once it’s all said and done, it’s a good thing and the smile on the faces from the kids and the families is all what it is for,” stated Sgt. Maynes. Law enforcement officers from Helper, Price, Wellington, East Carbon, Sheriff’s Department and Highway Patrol participate every year and do such an amazing job working alongside the youngest members of the community.
The Price City Police Department would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.