Cedar City Shop With A Cop Brings Joy To 100 Local Children

100 local children shared a little Christmas magic on Saturday, December 9^th, at the annual Shop With a Cop program in Cedar City.

The children arrived bright and early Saturday morning to enjoy a warm breakfast donated by the Cedar City Elks Lodge at Canyon View High School. Gina and Angie from the Elks Lodge shared they are proud to have been helping in this capacity since 2002 by raising money through various events and efforts throughout the year.

Every child was first greeted by Santa and a public safety official. The public safety official became their designated shopping companion for the morning. Once breakfast was over, the kids hop in a public safety vehicle and caravan down Main Street to Wal-Mart with lights and sirens, where they get to spend $150 each on toys, home goods, clothing, and more. The morning commotion down Main Street can be alarming for residents, but many love hearing it is one of the kids’ favorite parts of the day.

Children of all ages raced around Wal-Mart with enthusiasm, some walking hand-in-hand with officers, some hanging on to the shopping cart as they were zipped around the store. Baskets were loaded with items like bicycles, rollerblades, dolls, jackets, and more. After picking out gifts for themselves, their families, and even some of their pets, they were guided over to a special gift-wrapping station where their purchases were hand-wrapped by volunteers from the Southern Utah University athletic department, KKOS Lawyers, and Main Street businesses.

In a news release, Cedar City Police Chief Darin Adams said, “not only does this program financially impact these kids and their families, but it also serves the purpose of building positive community connections with the youth and law enforcement. We look forward to this event every year.”

Agencies that participated this year included Cedar City Police, Iron County Sheriff, Parowan Police, Enoch Police, Southern Utah University Police, Utah Highway Patrol, Cedar City Fire, Bureau of Land Management, Iron County Search and Rescue, National Park Service, Gold Cross Ambulance, Iron County District Attorney’s Office, Utah Department of Wildlife Resources, and Brian Head Public Safety.

The Shop with a Cop program accepts year-round monetary donations to assist children who need extra help during the holiday season. Donations can be dropped off at the Cedar City Police Department Headquarters located at 10 N. Main Street, Cedar City UT 84720, or by mail.

The Cedar City Police Department thanks all who participated and donated to the event, and all those who volunteered to make the day memorable to the children.