Saturday was a day to build trust and relationships with law enforcement for 60 West Hawaii keiki as they roamed the aisles of the Kona Target for the annual Shop with a Cop.
The “disadvantaged” children and their families turned out for the special Catholic Charities Hawaii event that’s been running for nearly two decades. Shop with a Cop, an event held across the nation, strives to build positive relationships with law enforcement while shopping for meaningful gifts for the youth and their families for an extra special Christmas.
Each child was provided a $100 gift certificate, with overruns covered by the Rotary Club of Kona, to purchase something for themselves, however, many decided to use the money to purchase gifts for siblings.
“It’s a special event within a magical time of a child’s life that we, the police officers, can come together in a brief moment and show that we really care,” said Community Policing Officer Dwayne Sluss.
In addition to Hawaii Police Department officers, state Sheriffs and law enforcement personnel from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Forest Service took part.
“I personally delivered invitations to our partners in law enforcement to join us this year, and the turnout was terrific,” said Sluss.
Keiki and their parents and guardians were treated to breakfast, courtesy of Target before they embarked on their shopping spree, and Santa was on hand to hear wish lists and pose for photos.
Tasha, a mom and foster parent, was on hand for the first time with her charges and was ecstatic about the program.
“This is amazing,” she said. “The last time a lot of these foster kids had an encounter with police is when they were taken away from their family. This is an amazing healing opportunity for them to see the human side of the officers.”
She said it was awesome to see the kids who were at first apprehensive and reserved to come out of their shells by the end of their shopping spree.
“I am very grateful for the police and Catholic Charities. This is a huge blessing for the kids. It is an honor to see the transformation in them,” she said.
Sluss said he was very happy to see law enforcement come together for such a worthy event.
“We had 30 law enforcement officers spend their Saturday morning for these kids. I am very thankful and hope they continue their support,” he said.
