SeaTac and Burien police officers helped 80 children from 35 families go shopping for the holidays at the Burien Fred Meyer on Dec. 3. King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall was in attendance helping kids shop.
“This is a means for police to interact on an entirely different level than how we are usually interacting with the community,” SeaTac Police Chief Jon Mattsen said. “Everyone here today is a volunteer. Many have worked the entire year to try to make this event a success.”
Shop with a Cop is a referral-based program that pairs police officers with underprivileged youth in the community, who get together for a holiday shopping spree. Families are selected by Highline Schools. Ten kids went in at a time, each accompanied by a police officer. Each child was provided with a $100 gift card to use for their gifts.
The Burien-White Center and Tukwila-SeaTac Rotary Clubs pay for the gifts. Other sponsors include Alaska Airlines, Hilton Hotels, the Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce, Maverick Gaming and the King County Sheriff’s Office.
SeaTac police started participating in this event in 2020. Due to the pandemic, last year was the first year officers were able to physically shop with the kids.
For more pictures of the event, please click here.
Original source can be found here.
