The Shop With A Cop and Emergency Services program sponsored by Plymouth F.O.P Lodge 195 in Marshall County is in its 25th year of providing a bit of holiday cheer to children in Marshall County. The program offers assistance to youth in all the elementary schools in Marshall County. While the program is geared toward elementary age children, if the family has older or younger children they are not exclude from participating in the shop.
Hurshel Hunter said this is an unusual year with COVID-19 causing so many businesses to shut down for a period of time and those that have had to operate an alternative way has hut their bottom line and that in-turn limits their ability to donate to the various non-profits in the county, the Shop With A Cop program being one of those.
Each year the FOP does a variety of fundraising efforts to raise the necessary funds to make Shop With A Cop successful. Right now there are coin collecting jugs in businesses all over the county and many retail establishments have paper window ornaments they will hang for a donation of just a $1 or more. Donations can also be mailed directly to Plymouth FOP at P.O. Box 875.
The live radio auction will be held this Friday, December 4th starting at 9 a.m. Several hundred items will be on the auction block. Hunter said, “We will have everything from a taco to a car on the auction block.” There will be gift certificates for food and services, holiday decorations, a septic tank pump, handmade items and many more.
If you would like to participate in the auction this year, call WTCA at 936-4096, email wtca@am1050.com or text the radio station at 574-307-6647. All we need is you name and a phone number and we will give you a bid number. Then on Friday we will call those who were successful bidders to let them know. Due to COVID-19 we are going to schedule curb side pick-up for your items on Friday from 5 to 6 and Saturday from 9 till noon.
Items for the auction should start showing up on the WTCA website at am1050.com Wednesday. On the front page scroll down until you see the Shop With A Cop icon on the left hand side. Click it and it will take you to the half hour blocks.
Each year a Shop With A Cop committee selects children whose parents have filled out an application for assistance. This year it is anticipated that the event won’t be able to help nearly as many as before due to COVID-19. Not only does the FOP help children, they also provide needed items for approximately 24 clients from Marshall Starke Development Center who don’t have families to receive gifts from. They also provide 70 plus senior citizens a gift card that can be used for food or medicine. Plymouth FOP 195 works with REAL Services to find seniors who could use a little help this time of year.
