Big Island Kids to Shop with a Cop

Police officers, young shoppers and Catholic Charities representative Elizabeth Murph (in red lei) surround Santa during the ‘Shop with a Cop’ charity event on Dec. 19, 2016. Courtesy photo.

The Hawaiʻi Police Department has announced the 2nd Annual Hilo Shop with a Cop charity event, which will be held at the Hilo Target Store on Saturday morning, Dec. 9, 2017.

This collaborative community event helps bring joy to at-risk teens and young children during the holidays in a unique way that bridges important relationships and transforms possible fears into friendships.

Officers from the South Hilo Community Policing Unit and off-duty police officers, along with representatives from Catholic Charities, the Pāhoa chapter of Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Hilo Target Store, are contributing to the holiday splurge for the youth, who range in age from toddlers to teens.

The keiki and teen shoppers are pre-selected from community programs for children in-need, as they really are the most fragile youth in our community.

The 30 pre-selected children will meet with the officers and then take pictures with Santa, who will give them each a $100 gift card. The children are each then paired with an officer who will escort them around the store and help them shop for gifts. A gift wrapping service will also be provided by Target, as well as a party buffet and a Christmas goodie bag for the keiki to take home.

The annual event is organized by Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi in partnership with the Hawaiʻi Police Department, the Hilo Target Store and a growing generous team of Hawaiʻi Island donors. This year’s funders are the Pāhoa VFW Post 3830, Pāhoa VFW Post 3830 Auxiliary, St. Michael the Archangel Church in Kona, Annunciation Parish in Kamuela, Pacific Solar Technologies, LLC, the Hilo Target Store and Ladies of the Daisy Giving Circle.