CLEARLAKE>>> This year the Lake County Sheriffs Office and other law enforcement agencies around the lake celebrated the 10th annual Shop with a Cop event on Tuesday morning in Clearlake, warming the hearts of 220 kids as well as a countless amounts of parents and officers.
“This is the best day of the year.” Shared Tara Gandolfo, who helps organize the event every year. The planning begins the day after Christmas, which culminates in a fundraising dinner at Boatique Winery in the fall where a majority of the funds are secured. “Our community jumps right in, making us able to fill a gap for these kids.”
Founder of the Lake County Shop with a Cop Sheriff Sargeant John Drewrey expressed “Knowing that this event was built out of such tragedy, the Valley Fire, and seeing how much it has grown – I get emotional.” Over the past decade Drewrey and his fellow law enforcement officers have been able to expand and develop this program into what it is today. “We are breaking down barriers between cops and kids… we want them to trust us.” For many kids, the unfortunate truth is that there is familial trauma linked to law enforcement, and the Sheriffs office is actively trying to rectify that.
Lake County Sheriffs Office Public Information Officer Laura Berlin shared that this year they were able to increase the amount of children that were able to shop with a cop up to 220, with a budget of $250 for each child. Berlin noted “They get to purchase tax free so they can use the entire $250.” She also explained that the only requirements are that each child get a warm jacket, pants, and a pair of shoes. “Every agency in Lake County is represented here” Berlin stated, with over 50 officers present that morning, ready to connect and build relationships with our county’s youth. There were also Spanish speaking officers ready and waiting for kids who practice English as a second language. One of these officers was Marissa Onate with the Lakeport Police Department who graciously teamed up with kids needing to speak Spanish so that they did not miss out on the full experience of this opportunity.
Clearlake resident and mother of three children aged 4, 7, and 8, Stacey Fedewa, shared her sentiment for the shopping spree stating “We are so grateful for this opportunity.” She shared how excited her children were to attend, but through some sort of error she was under the impression that the shopping spree began at 7:45 a.m. while she was scheduled for 7 a.m. Luckily she said that someone from the sheriffs office called them to make sure they did not miss out, and they were able to make it with plenty of time to spare.
Clearlake father John Anderson was waiting for his two children ages 11 and 12. He shared “I am very grateful. A lot of kids need this, it’s great to see the community come together.” He added “I’m very proud of them. They said they would get what they wanted, and spend the rest on their sibling. It’s truly amazing and we can all learn from that.”
Deputy Sheriff Dean Preader has assisted in every Shop with a Cop event for the last decade and also resides on the non-profit’s board of directors. He said, “We had the largest amount of support this year” continuing “…There was a significant amount of new people stepping up to sponsor. We have some of the same donors every year, plus a couple of new ones.” Sharing that it is his favorite time of year, this event seems to add the right amount of joy necessary for the holidays, especially for law enforcement officers.
“I look forward to this every year. All the deputies do.” Sheriff elect Lucas Bingham expressed his gratitude for the event detailing a laundry list of reasons why stating, “It’s great to interact and get a chance to build that positive relationship. For us this is huge to be able to connect with these kids.” But it isn’t just the kids leaving with their hearts three times the size, the officers do too. “This helps all of the officers unload a bit. Show us the world is still good.” He continued explaining “It takes a real toll on us going into people’s houses during the holiday.”
