Shop with a Cop Foundation, San Jose Police Department and Target Corporation to Host Holiday toy distribution

MEDIA ADVISORY

 

WHAT: 13th Annual Shop with a Cop - Heroes and Helpers Holiday Shopping Spree

WHO: Officers from the San Jose Police Department, SJPD CSO’S. Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, Correctional Deputies and Park Rangers, California Highway Patrol, West Valley College District Police, FBI, Los Altos Police, Santa Clara County DA's Investigators Office, Milpitas Police, Foothill/ De Anza Police, San Jose/West Valley College District Police. 

WHEN: Saturday, December 12, 2020 9 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: San Jose Elk’s Lodge parking lot 444 W. Alma Ave. San Jose, California 95125 (408) 298-3880

 

The 13th Annual Shop with a Cop Heroes and Helpers Holiday shopping spree for underserved youth will be held on December 12, 2020 at the San Jose Elk’s Lodge in San Jose. For the past 13 years, the Shop with a Cop Foundation Silicon Valley hosts over 200 underserved children for a holiday shopping spree with local Bay Area police officers. For many of the children, this special opportunity becomes the only holiday experience they will have. 200+ 3rd grade students from Santee Elementary School, Los Arboles Elem. Mckinley Elem, Gardner Academy and Adelante II Academy in San Jose were selected and will be participating in this year’s event. Additional children participating have experienced a traumatic crisis from the loss of a parent, domestic violence, parent incarcerated, and other recent tragedies. Parents will also be given gift cards to purchase needed grocery items. 

Due to COVID-19, the program has been modified with safety precautions in mind. This will be a NO CONTACT event. Parents will drive up and pick up their gifts. The business community stepped up and purchased all the gifts online from the child’s wish list. Uniformed police officers and community volunteers will distribute the bags of gifts. Each child was allotted a $125.00 Target gift card to shop for gifts for their family members and for themselves. 

Local sports celebrities and sports mascots have also been invited to attend. Organizers will be available to provide brief remarks and details about the Shop with a Cop Foundation and its impact on the community during this pandemic. These have been very challenging times for families. Our goal is to change the narrative; show families that these first responders care, and want them to have a joyous holiday season. 

Target’s Heroes and Helpers is an event that helps less fortunate children purchase gifts for their families and themselves. This program is co-sponsored by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies nationwide during the holiday shopping spree events. The overall theme is to foster strong relationships between youth and police officers in order to change perceptions that young children might have toward the police so we may have a safer community tomorrow. 

Target Corp. has had a longstanding commitment to building strong, healthy and safe communities, which include partnerships with law enforcement. This community giving and service event is one way Target gives five percent of its profits—which today equals more than $4 million per week—to communities. 

Funding for Shop with a Cop was provided by a grant from Target Corporation, San Jose Police Foundation, Bank of America, Chevron, Coldwell Banker Real Estate, Milpitas POA, SCCCPOA, SC Juvenile probation officers, Councilwoman Dev Davis, Councilman Raul Peralez, Santa Clara County Assoc. of Realtors, Intero, Coldwell Banker, Coastal Lumber, Physicians Medical Urgent Care, local businesses, and many individual donations (partial list).

“Our Annual Heroes & Helpers events pair public safety officials with community youth for holiday shopping sprees at our stores,” Target representatives said. “Through our 2017 program, we donated more than $150,000 to agencies in approximately 200 communities across the U.S.” People wishing to make a donation so more children may participate, can mail them to: P.O Box 8003, San Jose, CA 95155. Checks made payable to Shop with a Cop Foundation SV or at www.shopwithacopsv.org via Pay Pal or Venmo @SWAC-SV

Inquires may be directed to Executive Director-Shop with a Cop Foundation SV, Darrell Cortez at (669) 226-2663 or Paul Mathews of Target Corporation at (408) 346-2022 or email Laverne.white@target.com.