For at least the last 15 years, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 149 has held its Christmas with a Cop program to provide elementary school children with toys, coats, gloves and shoes for the holiday.
Thursday, law enforcement officers shopped at Meijer with approximately 120 kids from schools within Kosciusko County - Tippecanoe Valley, Wawasee, Warsaw, Head Start, Sacred Heart and children recommended by Department of Child Services, according to Ryan Moore, FOP 149 president.
They’re not stopping there.

    Warsaw Police Department patrol officer Marissa Gunning helps a kid decide on toys at Meijer during the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 149’s Christmas with a Cop Thursday. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
  

“This year, actually, it’s the first year we’ve done this - today is K through 6. Next Wednesday, the 18th, we’re taking junior high and high schoolers. So we have 40 junior high and high schoolers that we’re taking next week,” he said.
By splitting the two age groups up, it helps with logistics such as officer availability. And while Santa and Mrs. Claus were on hand Thursday night, Moore said they know the older kids have less interest in them.
“But we’ve always done K through 6. Always, always, always. And so, this year, we were like, ‘Let’s reach out and make a difference’” in the lives of older kids, too, he said.
The junior high and high schoolers probably won’t want toys, Moore conceded, but they may want headphones, a video game or need a jacket, boots or clothes.
“We’re open to that. We’re going to take them shopping and hang out with them a little bit,” he said. “In fact, we’re all going to be in plain clothes, too. We’re not going to wear uniform just so they’re a little more comfortable with us. We didn’t want people thinking they were in trouble with law enforcement, walking around with police. So we’re going to make them as comfortable as possible and have a good time.”

    Kosciusko County Sheriff Jim Smith (R) and Warsaw Police Department Det. Capt. Paul Heaton (L) pose for a photo with some kids during Christmas with a Cop Thursday at Meijer. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
  

The dollars spent on each child is determined by how much the Lodge raises each year. Moore said this year they’re going to spend between $120 to $150 on each child, and they’ve increased it over the past few years
Alexis Dorman, human resource manager at Meijer, said, “We’ve been participating in (Christmas with a Cop) for a few years now. This is my third one that I have helped plan them with. We do it every year. It’s rewarding to see all the kids and the officers here shopping with them. And just seeing the kids smile and have fun. It’s not something they get to do every single day, to spend a lot of money. We make sure they’re able to do that.”
Meijer designates three checkout lanes just for the event. This year, she said Meijer also was able to donate $4,400 total for Thursday’s event with the elementary kids and Wednesday’s event with the teenagers.
There’s an application process that families go through for their kids to take part in Christmas with a Cop, Moore said. The applications are provided to the schools, who then give them to the families.

    Zach Smith, Warsaw Police Department sergeant, looks at one of the toys a child picked out during Thursday’s Christmas with a Cop at Meijer. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
  

“We do it because we like giving back to the community. We all chose a career of service, and it doesn’t stop out on the road. We like to serve our community and continue to serve, and we love to seeing the kids happy and smiling and make their Christmas bright,” Moore said. “We appreciate all of our donors who give (to) us because we’re a nonprofit, and they give us all of our funds so that we can do this and we can take the kids shopping and show a different side of law enforcement.”
Departments expected to participate in this year’s Christmas with a Cop included Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department, Warsaw Police Department, Indiana State Police, Claypool Police Department, Winona Lake Police Department, dispatchers, jailers and possibly several others. All of them are members of the FOP.
The FOP’s email address is [email protected], which is also the Lodge’s PayPal account, if people want to donate or assist them in any other way.
Their biggest fundraiser of the year is their golf outing, and people can sponsor a hole or team for that event. It’s usually held the last week in August.