The Prince Albert Police Service thanked their local community partners for going above and beyond once again this holiday season to help fulfill Christmas wishes for local children.
The 2021 Shop with a Cop program was made possible thanks to continued support from the Prince Albert High Noon Optimist Club and local businesses including Canadian Tire and McDonald’s.
The High Noon Optimist Club once again contributed $750 to help fund the program, along with a generous supply of wrapping paper. This year, 25 local children from five different schools in both the Prince Albert Catholic and Saskatchewan Rivers School Divisions were able to participate in the event, which was organized by the Community Services section of the police service.
The Community Services section has the mandate to support the police service in promoting positive interactions with residents and families in Prince Albert through events, information and activities.
The Shop with a Cop program started around 2008 and has been an annual event for the organization ever since. In-person events were cancelled this month due to the pandemic, but teachers and resource workers assisted in helping to select gifts online for students at John Diefenbaker Public School, W.J. Berezowsky Public School, Queen Mary, Westview Public School and St. Michael Community School.
The selected gifts were then sorted and packaged by staff at Canadian Tire and taxes were waived on all purchases.
At the Prince Albert Catholic School Division’s meeting in November, the board received an update and the program was recognized by all trustees for its importance, including board chair Suzanne Stubbs, who has been involved for many years.
“There is a collaboration that occurs with the city police and the Shop with a Cop project and there are five students from St. Michael School that will get that opportunity,” director of education Lorel Trumier said at the time.
Members of the police service then helped deliver gifts to the children so they could help celebrate the season with their loved ones. Each of the 25 children who participated in the program also received a gift of their own as part of the Shop with a Cop program.
The Prince Albert Police Service stated that they appreciate the support and effort from their local community partners in helping to make the holiday season a little brighter for local children and their families.
