By STEPHANIE BUNKER
Moapa Valley Progress
Law enforcement officers in Moapa Valley went the extra mile last week to help local families have a better Christmas this year. On Wednesday Home Hardware in Overton was bursting at the seams with law enforcement offiers and local kids for the annual Shop with a Cop program.
The program in Moapa Valley began in 2010 when Metro Officers Andy Caldwell and Nate Bradford saw a need for the program to be implemented. That first year the Metropolitan Police Department Officers donated their own money to buy toys for three needy children.
The program has come a long way since then. This year, through many businesses and several individual donors, Metro raised $4,000 to be spent on the children. Lin’s Marketplace and McDonalds were able to generously donate food to the children and their families. McDonalds provided a meal to the kids when they were finished shopping and Lin’s put together grocery sack of food for Christmas dinner. The dinner included a ham, stuffing, some canned vegetables, chicken broth, and even a pumpkin pie.
“We want to support the local kids and Metro Officers,” said Lin’s manager Darin Leach. “It’s a great program I love the way it supports the local kids specifically.”
Because of the money raised locally, Metro was able to assist more children with Christmas this year. They also reached out to the other law enforcement agencies in Moapa Valley to come participate in the program. Sixteen officers from the Moapa Tribal Police, National Park Service Park Rangers, Nevada Highway Patrol, and Metro came together to light up the children’s faces on Wednesday.
“We raised so much money that either we give one child more gifts or expand to involve more children,” Caldwell said.
Chief Kevin Moore of the Moapa Tribal Police was glad to be invited to be a part of the program this year.
“We were really grateful Metro invited the Tribal Police to be here and help,” Moore said.
He explained that many of the Tribal Officers came from urban agencies where Shop with a Cop is widely practiced.
“Many of the officers have done this program before and it’s harder to put it together in a rural setting,” Moore said.
Caldwell thought it was important to involve officers that work in the community so the students were more familiar with them.
“All of the officers live here so the kids should know them and see them around,” Caldwell said.
Administration at Ute Perkins and Grant Bowler elementary schools were asked to select children who ought to be included in the Shop with a Cop program. The schools had two criteria for selecting the students. First, they had to know the child had a need. Secondly the child needed to be a good student. The schools selected a total of 17 students to shop this year. With two students unable to attend, 15 kids were picked up at the schools by the officers. They all formed a caravan through the town to Home Hardware.
Officer Caldwell emphasized the importance of shopping locally to the program.
“The money comes from local businesses and it is important to spend it locally,” he said.
Metro began the program at Home Hardware and plans to continue shopping there.
“They have treated us well here over the past 3 years,” said Caldwell.
Home Hardware owner/manager Randy Tobler said he was happy to have the program in the store.
“After living in other communities I can see how involved Metro really is here,” Tobler said.”This is something our valley needs right now.”
In addition to the officers shopping with the kids, their wives are also feverishly working behind the scenes to get the children the perfect gifts. Each of them follows the student and officer around taking mental notes of the items the kids like. Then after the kids had left to go eat their lunch, the wives picked up all of the items and help their husbands gift wrap them. Later the presents are delivered to the families.
“The police see what goes on in the community and it’s nice to be able to come behind and make things easier for them,” said Cein Caldwell wife of Officer Andy Caldwell.
Officer Caldwell explained that the students showed true Christmas spirit in their thoughtfulness towards others.
“The kids are interested in getting a couple things for them but then they want to get their family things too,” Caldwell said.
Chief Moore said that his student started out slowly but once he got going he became excited picking things out for his family too.
