The Fayetteville Police Department is seeking donations to help purchase Christmas gifts and provide Christmas dinner for local under-privileged families.

The department’s Shop With A Cop program allows children of each family to be escorted around town by a police officer in a patrol car as they visit various businesses around town to purchase food and gifts. Officers then help the children wrap the presents to be taken home and opened on Christmas morning.

The children are eager to purchase gifts for their parents and siblings and forget about themselves, organizers said.

Donations of any sort are needed, particularly money, gift certificates, discounts and the like. All donations are used for the children’s shopping spree and are split evenly amongst all eligible families. This is the department’s third year in the program; last year with help from the business community the department helped six families for a total of 17 children.

The families are identified with the help of the local school system and other agencies; once they are chosen a background investigation is conducted to determine if they are truly in need, organizers said.

To donate to Shop With A Cop, please call Sgt. Debbie Chambers at 770-461-4441.

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