Smiling faces haven’t been a staple of 2020. But on Sunday, the smiles of hundreds of area kids were visible through their masks at the Target in Middletown Township.
The kids were paired with police officers as part of the annual Shop With A Cop program, which was led by the Middletown Township Police Department and involved the Newtown Borough, Newtown Township, Northampton Township, Lower Southampton Township, Upper Makefield Township, and Warminster Township police, along with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
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Officer Melissa Robison, who serves Middletown Township and was the organizer, said the event raised just over $111,000 and was able to allow 478 area kids shop for themselves and their families on Sunday morning. Additional kids will be helped in the coming weeks.
“This year was different because we offered to shop for kids rather than with them if they were sick or had heightened concerns about being out in public. We weren’t going to not include those kids for that reason,” she said.
In advance of the event, Robison and Animal Control Officer Cheyenne Keen shopped for 178 kids who couldn’t make it on Sunday.
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“We’ve spent countless hours shopping at the stores in town, even eating our lunches in Target parking lot,” she said.
With the pandemic, kids had to have wish lists completed in advance of the event and wrapping turned into placing gifts in seasonal bags. Masks were worn, physical distancing was applied, and efforts were made to speed up the flow of young shoppers.
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Santa was in attendance to greet the happy little shoppers.
Outside the Target, there were thousands of pounds of food that were given away to families in need.
Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said he was pleased to have his office take part and that it was great to see all the kids and families who are on hard times having some cheer.
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“This is a win-win. It’s good for the kids and good for the community,” he said.
“Hearing that ‘this is the best day ever’ is so uplifting. The amount of support we received from the community was something I’ve never seen or could have dreamed up. We are merely the conduit for the generosity that is shown to these children,” Robison said.
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Local businesses, residents, and community groups helped raise the $111,000 for the event, the largest since the local Shop With A Cop started several years ago.
“We are so lucky to be in this position year after year. I’m in awe of what the community has done and just so thankful that we have the support we do,” Robison said.
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