Area kids ‘Shop with a Cop’ for Christmas

Down the Middle Foundation (DTMF) and its partners helped brighten the Christmas holiday for children across the area through its sixth annual Shop with a Cop event.

DTMF founder Darnell Lee Jr. noted that the event gives area children the opportunity to cultivate a positive relationship with area law enforcement as they participate in an exciting shared endeavor — shopping for presents that the children can have for Christmas.

This year’s iteration of the event took place Tuesday, Dec. 16, and featured second graders from Capron Elementary School, Meherrin Elementary School, Nottoway Elementary School, Riverdale Elementary School and Kilby Shores Elementary School in Suffolk.

Participating law enforcement agencies included Southampton County Sheriff’s Office and Virginia State Police.

“The goal is to have 20 (children involved) every year, and we’re trying to increase it every year, but this year we were able to have 13 kids in the store,” Lee said.

The store partnering with DTMF for the event is the Walmart located in the city of Franklin.

“What Walmart does, they provide little goodies for the kids at Walmart, and then each kid will be partnered with a police officer, and they will shop for $100 of whatever they want,” Lee said. “And after that, we go to the (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community) Center, we have volunteers that wrap gifts and (we) eat pizza. (Franklin) Parks and Rec partners with us, they provided the crafts at the MLK Center.”

As noted on its website, Down the Middle Foundation, which Lee founded in 2009, has a mission “to support the character development and athletic skills of youth through community service, mentorship, team building, and sports education.”

Lee explained that the Shop with a Cop event aims to develop youth in a positive way by dispelling fears they may have about law enforcement, helping them to understand that officers are here to help the community.