About Us
Shop with a Cop benefits underprivileged children from across Dundee Township at our annual event held in early December. Each year, Shop with a Cop provides a joyful holiday for children who, without this event, may not experience one. Schools, churches and social services agencies identify the participating children.
On the day of the event, uniformed officers from various agencies volunteer their time to be with the children for breakfast, then head to Wal-Mart for a morning of shopping with their law enforcement partner.
The program is intended to build relationships between officers and children in the community. Each year Shop with a Cop grows in number of kids invited to participate.
Throughout the Year
Shop with a Cop sponsors lunch programs throughout the area, which are coordinated by local churches. In additions, Shop with a Cop assists families with children within our communities who may be affected by a catastrophic event such as a house fire.
History
The Shop With A Cop program started in 2004 when Louis Kloepper, then an officer with East Dundee Police Department, raised some money and donated his own to take 15 kids out to breakfast and then on a shopping trip.
“The first 15 kids, half of them were foster kids,” said Kloepper, who is now retired. “We were the ones who took them away from their families so they were kind of scared of us.”
Mission Statement
The mission of Shop with a Cop is to establish and build positive relationships between police officers and the children of the Dundee Township community. Shop with a Cop’s purpose is to provide the children of these communities, during the holiday season, an opportunity to go holiday shopping and to provide assistance throughout the year for children who are victims of fire or other extraordinary circumstances.
This program was designed, and continues to benefit underprivileged children and to allow them to have a positive interaction with a police officer. Our goal is to give children a happier holiday experience while interacting with a police officer in a positive setting to show that the police are there to help.
At our annual event held in early December “Shop with a Cop” provides a joyful holiday for underprivileged children who, without this event, may not experience one.
Through the generous support of our local police agencies, local businesses and private residents, this event continues to grow each year.
Check out this article from the Daily Herald written by local journalist, Lenore T. Adkins, in 2011.
Read this article from The Courier-News written by frelance reporter, Gloria Casas, in 2021