CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — Through the efforts of the Forest County Sheriff’s Department, local law enforcement, and several volunteers, dozens of Forest County children and their families will have a very Merry Christmas.
At the Clarion Walmart on Sunday afternoon, the sheriff’s department hosted the county’s Shop With a Cop program, treating 72 kids to a shopping spree.
Forest County Sheriff Bob Wolfgang told exploreClarion.com how the program began.
“My chief deputy, Bill Carbaugh (pictured above), was after me to get one started, and when we did our first one in 2013, we were overwhelmed with the response we got from everyone,” Wolfgang explained.
“It’s turned out to be very, very successful.”
Law enforcement officers and first responders from the area were out in force to help kids shop and pick out items such as coats, boots, warm clothes, and, of course, toys.
They included officers from the State Police based in Marienville and Clarion; Pa. Game Commission; Forest County and Clarion County Sheriff’s Departments; EMS personnel and area firefighters; borough police from the area; probation officers from Forest and Clarion counties; Forest County District District Attorney Barbara Litten, as well as Clarion County DA Mark Aaron and assistant DA Drew Welsh.
“We are very grateful for all the law enforcement and first responders that give of their time to be here today with the kids,” Wolfgang said. “We couldn’t get it done without them.”
The first event helped 62 kids and hit a high of 83 in 2016.
Cheri Switzer, who works in the Forest County Sheriff’s Department and helps organize the program, said each child received a $100.00 gift card to shop.
“It’s really been nice to see how it’s grown. We’ve had $11,500.00 in donations, and that’s allowed us to serve every child in Forest County that applied,” Switzer said.
Switzer said that applications are sent home with the children from school. To be eligible for the program, the child has to live in Forest County and meet certain eligibility requirements.
The shopping spree wasn’t the only thing for the kids.
After the shopping was over, everyone went to McDonald’s for lunch.
Switzer said they also provide a complete holiday meal to each family, including a turkey, potatoes, and other food.
The Shop With a Cop program started in Minnesota in the winter of 2000.
The initial idea started with Retired Chief John Harrington, then a Senior Commander with the St. Paul Police Department Western District, and Arnoldo Curiel, then Coordinator of the Frogtown Weed and Seed initiative.
As the program progressed, it was joined by the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation; District 7 and 8 Planning Councils; West Minnehaha Recreation Center; and various members of the Frogtown and Summit-University communities.
From 2000 to 2004, the operating support for “Shop with Cops” came from federal Weed and Seed dollars, a strategy which “weeds” out crime in communities and plant the “seeds” for positive change and development.
