The Shop With A Cop and Emergency Services program sponsored by Plymouth F.O.P Lodge 195 in Marshall County is in its 26th 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 excluded from participating in the shop.
With the COVID-19 pandemic in full force last year the Shop With A Cop program made changes but still helped those in need. This year they hope to return to the regular routine.
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 12th annual live radio auction on WTCA AM 1050 & FM 106.1 will be held Friday, December 3rd starting at 9 a.m. Several hundred items will be on the auction block. There will be gift certificates for food and services, holiday decorations, a septic tank pump, handmade items, specialty gift baskets and tons more.
Each year a Shop With A Cop committee selects children whose parents have filled out an application for assistance. Not only does the FOP help children, they also provide needed items for approximately 20 clients from Marshall Starke Development Center who don’t have families to receive gifts from. They also provide 70 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.
If you are a parent or gardian and need an application, they are available from the counselors at the elementary schools in Marshall County. You can also pick one up at the WTCA studios at 112 West Washington Street in downtown Plymouth during normal business hours. This year applications are due on November 18th so get them filled out and dropped off at your school or here at WTCA.
