BUNNELL, FL – On December 2, 2022, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) hosted its largest-ever Shop With a Cop event. Flagler Sheriff’s Children’s Charities, a tax-deductible 501(C)(3) charity established by Sheriff Staly in 2020, hosted this event to provide holiday gifts to children in the Flagler County community who would otherwise may not have a holiday.
‘Shop With A Cop’ is part of the mission of the Flagler Sheriff’s Children’s Charities and is sponsored and supported by FCSO employees, local businesses, and community sponsors. The goal of ‘Shop With A Cop’ is to help children and families who are struggling due to economic circumstances, are victims of domestic violence, or have been placed in foster care.
Shop with a Cop was held at Walmart in Palm Coast. The event kicked off with law enforcement Deputies and Officers from FCSO, BPD, FBPD FHP, FWC, and FCSO COPs picking up the children at their homes and going to the new Sheriff’s Operations Center to play games, interact with law enforcement officers and participate in other fun holiday activities, including a snowball game where snow actually fell in Flagler County. Santa arrived on a modern-day sleigh, arriving by a helicopter provided by Attorney Dan Newlin.
The children and Deputies then traveled to Walmart, escorted by the FCSO Motors Unit with lights and sirens. Each participating child received a $200 gift card, up from $175 last year, where they had the opportunity to shop for themselves and family members.
During the event, an off-duty FCSO Communication Specialist, Lindsey Stanford who was volunteering at Shop with a Cop, noticed a child choking and the mother trying to clear the obstruction from the child’s throat. Lindsey’s husband, Deputy Sheriff Richard Stanford followed, and they both worked to clear the child’s airway using the Heimlich maneuver and other techniques to dislodge a button from the child’s airway. The child made a full recovery.
“Shop With a Cop was a great success, and I appreciate everyone that donated and all our FCSO employees and partner agencies who volunteered to take part in this amazing event,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “While there was a frightening moment, I’m very proud of everyone involved in this lifesaving event that could have had a much different outcome. You never know when you may have to jump into action and save a life in this profession.”
Sheriff Staly added, “I’m very proud of our team that not only serves the community every day but also gives back to our community to help build positive relationships between children and law enforcement. Not only did they volunteer their time, but they donated almost $19,000.00 to support Shop with a Cop and many reached into their pocket to pay any overage from their child’s shopping spree. Our team truly enjoys Shop With a Cop each year and getting to see the children get into the holiday spirit and the smiles on their faces. I encourage members of our community to support Flagler Sheriff’s Children’s Charities by making a tax-deductible donation.”
If you would like to support next year’s event you can make a tax-deductible donation by going to GoFundMe or PayPal.
