Deschutes County SO back with ‘Shop with a Cop,’ again with volunteers filling role

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Planning and preparations are underway for the 2021 Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Shop with a Cop program.

Shop with a Cop is a joint venture between local law enforcement agencies throughout Central Oregon, local Walmart stores, and McDonalds. The primary focus is to help make the holidays a little brighter for less-fortunate families, and provide an opportunity for children to engage in positive police interaction.

Here's the rest of Thursday's announcement:

This year, Shop with a Cop will be similar to 2020. Last year, our volunteers shopped for 75 school-aged children and their families. Law enforcement then made deliveries to their houses dropping off the gifts and McDonalds meal vouchers.

Although it is not how we envision Shop with a Cop to take place, we are grateful that we are still able to make this event happen. Gifts are often essential items such as; shoes, clothing, personal hygiene items, household items and other needed supplies. The program also assists children and families throughout the year with basic needs during emergencies.

Shop with a Cop is completely funded by donations from our community. Many businesses, organizations, and individual citizens give money to the program. No tax dollars are spent on this program. In addition to shopping for the students, Shop with a Cop also partners with Walmart to help provide a Christmas meal for some families.  We apply 100% of community donations to this local program.

Participating students are referred primarily by a community based advocacy group that works directly with school-aged children at most schools throughout Deschutes County. Additional students are referred via the Central Oregon Partnership for Youth (COPY) program, which provides positive mentoring for children of incarcerated parents..

Shop with a Cop is overseen and coordinated by the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, however, its continued success stems from the participation of deputies from the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, officers and deputies from agencies throughout Central Oregon, the Oregon State Police, and law enforcement from the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. Shop with a Cop has also been overwhelmingly successful in past years because of the outstanding generosity, in the form of monetary support, from local citizens and businesses. Volunteer support for the program has always been a critical part of the program's success as well.

For businesses and citizens who would like to make a monetary contribution towards this year's program, donations can be dropped off Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, at the main Sheriff's Office in Bend, or at the Sheriff's Office's substations in La Pine and Sisters.

Checks, made out to "DCSO SWAC", can also be mailed to:

Deschutes County Sheriff's Office
Attn: Shop with a Cop Program
63333 West Highway 20
Bend, OR 97703

We again would like to thank the many Central Oregon businesses and community members that make Shop with a Cop possible...together, we CAN again make a big difference in the lives of many individuals and families!