Shop With A Cop Brings Smiles
Published: November 28, 2007
The calendar may say November, but it seemed like Christmas Tuesday night for several metro children who enjoyed a shopping spree with a personal chaperone.
Bernadette Stuart of Bellevue and her daughters searched for perfect presents for themselves.
Stuart, a stay-at-home mom to six-year-old Katilyn and two-year-old Allison, says her husband works long hours, but at the end of the day there isn’t enough for the extras, including Christmas.
“It means a whole bunch to us,” says Bernadette. “The children wouldn’t have a lot without it. They get to meet the police officers that patrol our neighborhood and I think it’s a wonderful thing.”
Bellevue Officer Chad Reed helped navigate the aisles and make this holiday season a bit brighter for the two little ladies. “It’s nice to give a little back and see some smiling kids and they can go home with some stuff they didn’t have before.”
Bellevue Police hope to help 28 children get new gifts this Christmas and they heard about these young people through referrals in the community or victims they saw out on the streets due to abuse or poverty.
“We see a lot people that probably need some assistance and a lot more than we can handle,” says Officer Reed. “There are a lot of families that could use a lot of assistance and give more next year.”
The girls could grab whatever they wanted in the store, but they passed by the toys to pick up something practical. “They need clothes, they came and wanted clothes, so what better thing and they’ll get more use out of the clothes,” says Bernadette.
A quick shopping trip, free of charge with a long lasting impact this holiday season and beyond.
“Without it, they wouldn’t have much at all. It’s a tremendous help to them and to all of us,” says Bernadette.
The Shop With A Cop Program will continue for three more nights, organized by Bellevue Police and paid for by Wal-Mart.
Other departments across the metro do similar shopping sprees. This is a first for Bellevue.
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