Shopping cops fill Christmas toy lists – Restoration NewsMedia

Law enforcement personnel, 911 dispatchers and volunteers filled shopping carts with toys and other items for the annual Shop with a Cop event at Walmart Saturday morning.

“It started a few years ago, probably about six or eight years ago,” said Sandra Cary, 911 dispatcher with Wilson County Emergency Communications Center. “We started an organization called the Wilson Law Enforcement Fellowship, and it is an organization that encompasses not just the police department, but 911, EMS, the fire department and the sheriff’s department. We all kind of got together and we initially started doing fundraisers so that we could do the Shop with a Cop.”

Cary said that once COVID hit, the fellowship had to rely on getting grants and donations.

“I would say we probably have close to 50 officers here and about 20 911 dispatchers here helping out,” said Brittany Harrison, a 911 dispatcher. “Christmastime is supposed to be the most joyous time, and getting to see these kids smiling when they get to put stuff in their cart, each kid has $200 apiece. It’s so heartwarming to know that these kids are getting a Christmas that they might not have gotten, but they are getting Christmas now. “Sometimes they get food. They really just get what they feel like they need, and sometimes they do get other items like clothes and stuff like that for school.”

Cary said the Wilson Law Enforcement Fellowship portion of the event helped 61 kids this year.

“That is probably more than we have ever had,” Cary said. “We had a lot of really good donors, so we were able to get more than we normally do this year. We reach out to anyone who is willing to help us. We actually bring more money just in case the family has extra kids that weren’t listed.”

Jessica Pope, administrative specialist 1 in the Wilson Office of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, and Trooper K.C. Grady joined a couple of 911 dispatchers and a member of the Royal Rangers USA group to shop for a family.

“We had a family of five and it was just a blessing for us to see the kids excited,” Pope said. “They were all 1000% just great kids. They had great hearts, great manners, The mom did a great job with this kids,”

Pope said the child she shopped for “loved everything he got and wanted to say thank you.” 

“The others wanted to say thank you too,” Pope said. “The oldest was the leader of the bunch. He was so grateful to us and said how wonderful of a time that they had with us. He asked to come see us, have dinner, and visit the office.”

“We have had a good day and we really needed it,” the child told Pope. “They have might not have a lot, but they have each other and they have love and that is what it is all about.”

Chief Orlando Rosario of the Stantonsburg Police Department did his department’s Shop with a Cop event on the same day to make it convenient for Walmart.

“This year we actually hit our record numbers,” Rosario said. “We raised just over $4,800, which is the most that we have ever raised since we have been putting this together. We have 24 families here from the town of Stantonsburg.”

Harrison said the Wilson Law Enforcement Fellowship collects money donations throughout the year.

Cary said they appreciate everybody that came out and helped.

“We need all the help we can get,” Cary said. “We really appreciate anybody who came out and helped us and anybody that donated.”

It was clear by the smiles on the children’s faces that this event really makes a difference.

“Anybody who can make Christmas good for these kids is a winner in our book,” Harrison said.