By Ben Cox
Photo/Submitted to The Source
The Morgan County Sheriff’s Department began mailing out solicitation letters for its annual Shop with a Cop program on October 24.
With approximately one month until Christmas, donations are still being sought to help approximately 200 children this holiday season experience the joy of Christmas gifts.
Last year, 190 children were able to purchase clothing, shoes, gloves, winter coats and a toy of their choice with a $75 allotment. The program is all made possible by the generosity of the citizens and businesses of Morgan County.
Sergeant Jamie Bettis, who oversees the program for the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, says he and several members of Morgan County’s law enforcement community work with area schools to select children who will benefit the most from the program. Beyond support from local agencies, Bettis says that the Illinois State Police and Illinois Conservation Police have also helped with the Shop with a Cop program.
“Once we have that information, we select about 20 kids from each school and typically we have funds for that.”
Bettis continues, “Once the children get an invitation, we select a day to go shop, usually at Walmart. We take them shopping for clothes, shoes, winter coats, whatever they need clothing-wise. Then, they can purchase a toy as well. Sometimes, it’s a couple little toys; they might get a few things depending on the dollar amount.” Bettis says that the students really do reap the benefits, especially when it comes to the clothing needs, as he has often heard in years past how students have used the clothes from the shopping event through the school year.
Bettis credits the Morgan County community for reaching as many children as they do each year, “There’s really good support for this program. We haven’t really, luckily not yet … haven’t really had any years where we’re like, ‘Oh, we’re going to have to take the amount down or have to not invite as many kids.’ We’ve been pretty fortunate with that.” Bettis says for the members of local law enforcement and the kids involved, it’s just a really fun experience to shop.
Bettis says the program sometimes can go beyond Christmas, “A few years ago one of the schools was having an end of the year party and they didn’t have a lot of financial support to do it. There was no funding at the school for outdoor activities and things like that that they wanted to do. We were actually able to provide them with some stuff for outside games and I think maybe even some snacks or drinks.” Bettis says if the funding is there, they will try to help out beyond just the Christmas season.
If you have received a letter from the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office asking for donations, please drop off any donations to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office in-person during business hours at 300 W. Court St. in Jacksonville, or send them via postal mail to: SHOP WITH A COP, c/o Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, 300 W. Court Street, Jacksonville, IL 62650.
Please note that the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office does not solicit by telephone, text or email. If you receive a solicitation via one of these methods, it is fraudulent. Please let them know if you receive one of these fraudulent solicitations immediately.
For additional information on the local Shop with a Cop program, contact Morgan County Sheriff Sergeant Jamie Bettis by calling 217-243-6123.
