The Christmas season brings feelings of joy and magic to so many, but for some, hardships and struggles arise during the holidays.

The beauty of small town living is that the citizens have big hearts and an urge to give back during the holidays. Winchester has plenty of ways to help the community, but Shop with a Cop is unique because it is operated and executed solely by law enforcement.

Clark County Sheriff Berl Perdue started this event and it has been providing gifts and memories for the underprivileged children of Winchester and Clark County for 32 years.

“The idea came from a couple of larger cities’ police departments and sheriff’s offices back over thirty years ago, they had started doing this and I just thought it’d be a good idea for a small lodge like ours,” Perdue said.

Last year, Shop with a Cop took almost 300 kids from Winchester shopping for Christmas. The size of this event has evolved and grown since its debut in 1991.

“We took 15 kids the first year. We didn’t have very much money at that time and by the second year we’d moved up to about 50 kids,” said Perdue.

Shop with a Cop does not only bring joy to the children involved; the officers and employees helping the kids shop are just as happy to be there.

“The officers enjoy it way more than the children do; we receive so much joy seeing their eyes light up and the smiles on their faces as we shop with them,” said retired Winchester Police Department Dispatcher Jeannie Gwynne.

Giving back during the holiday season is the most fulfilling and rewarding action. Different types of local law enforcement employees help out during this event by going with these children and creating a relationship as they shop for Christmas.

“It gives them an opportunity to interact on a personal level with our local law enforcement officers; that is important so that children are not afraid of law enforcement officers,” said Ms. Gwynne.

Shop with a Cop will begin at 7 a.m. on December 17th at our local Walmart. If you would like to donate to this wonderful cause, please contact Jeannie Gwynne or Rhonda Rogers at the Winchester Police Department. Their goal is to collect as many donations as possible.

“The more donations we collect, the more children we can take shopping,” said retired Winchester Police Department Dispatcher Rhonda Rogers.

There are multiple easy ways to donate:

• Venmo

• Paypal

• Drop off to the Winchester Police Department or the Clark County Sheriff’s Office

• Mail to: Shop with a Cop, P.O. Box 921, Winchester, KY 40391

• Call to make arrangements for pick up: Rhonda Rogers at 859-644-2550 or Jeannie Gwynne at 859-644-4700

Ms. Rogers added, “After Shop with a Cop, I really feel the Christmas spirit; it’s what Christmas is all about, giving to others.”

Make sure to like the Shop With A Cop Winchester/Clark Co. FOP34 Facebook page to follow all the information.