MONTICELLO – With the holiday season starting this week for the residents of Sullivan County, sheriff’s deputies spent Sunday, December 18 bringing cheer to the less fortunate young members of the community.
Through the generosity of the Walmart Foundation, 40 children from around the county were treated to an afternoon of “Shop with a Cop” at the Walmart store in Monticello.
Each child was given a $50.00 Walmart gift card and provided with a Sullivan County deputy sheriff as an escort, to help them pick out a gift. While many of the children made a beeline for the toy section, others picked out clothes and one even selected a bone for his dog.
“The Shop with a Cop program was coordinated through our Youth Division with the cooperation of the Walmart management team and employees”, said Sheriff Mike Schiff. “We are proud to participate in outreach programs like this one, which help build better bonds with the community,” he said.
The event started with a photo op in front of the store where the deputies had parked their patrol cars. Each child was given a Santa Claus hat to wear in order to get them into the holiday spirit and then led as a group into the store.
Walmart employees were waiting at the door to greet them with applause and candy canes. Then it was off to the important task at hand– shopping! The joy on the faces of the children was priceless.
The sheriff thanked Walmart store manager Imran Siddiqi, assistant managers Marilyn Smith and Ken Blanchette as well as the employees for their enthusiasm and kindness.
