It’s that time of year again where community members are in the spirit of giving, and the Naperville Police Department is doing just that. The Fraternal Order of Police hosted their annual Shop With a Cop event, in conjunction with Unity Partnership, giving underprivileged holiday shoppers a $100 gift card to Target.
Along with some furry helpers, police officers offered some suggestions to the underprivileged holiday shoppers on what gifts to choose.
What Was The Event Like?
“It’s just so much joy to shop and get to know the family and just seeing the kids face light up where they get a gift where they would normally not be able to get. So that was really rewarding,” said Claudia Uysaloglu, who works in Records at the Naperville Police Department.
About 50 community members were able to pick out toys, clothes, and much more, not only for themselves, but their loved ones as well.
Chance To Build a Relationship
The event was also a chance to build trust and familiarity between community members and police officers
“When the police care enough about you, want to spend money on you, want to shake your hand, want to let you know that you can aspire to be anything you want to be. They become “officer friendly”, and that’s what we need today,” said Regina Brent, the founder and president at Unity Partnership.
Main Message
The event aims to promote a simple idea. Giving is more fulfilling than receiving.
“I got to go out and see what they wanted to get for Christmas,” said Krissy Parchem, and emergency communications supervisor at the Naperville Police Department. “I felt like I was able to participate in their Christmas in a way.”
Police said over $5,000 was spent, but more importantly was the holiday cheer they were able to give.
Naperville News 17’s Christian Canizal reports.
