A cooperative effort between law enforcement agencies, businesses and local residents helped make Christmas brighter for more than 25 local youngsters, and Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith said he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“A day like Saturday is the reason we chose this profession,” Smith said Saturday, shortly after the inaugural “Shop With A Cop” event.
During the event, members of the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia State Police and the Department of Game & Inland Fisheries helped youngsters shop for Christmas gifts and then treated them to lunch, Smith said.
Walmart and Wendy’s hosted the event in Stuart, with 26 elementary school students from all parts of the county participating.
The young shoppers “basically got a healthy mix of clothing and toys,” Smith said.
School resource officers and the Christmas Cheer program worked together to select participants, while law enforcement officers from a trio of agencies, along with numerous business and local residents, raised the funds needed to make the event a success, the sheriff said.
Investigator Brian Hubbard spearheaded the local event, and “made it happen,” Smith said.
The goal now is for the event to continue and grow each year “so that more children and families can be helped,” Smith said.
“This is why we do what we do,” Smith said, and added the event goes hand-in-hand with a career in public service. “It’s all about lifting others up in a time of need,” he said.
