Officer ‘elves’ sought for Shop with a Cop

ROSEBURG, Ore. – Roseburg Police Department and City Councilor Andrea Zielinski are seeking law enforcement volunteers to join their colleagues on Saturday, Dec. 9, at the “Shop with a Cop” event for children sponsored by a local family as well as businesses and residents via Christmas for Kids of Douglas County.

During the event, law enforcement officers are expected to take about 35 underprivileged foster children aged 5 to 18 shopping to buy holiday presents for their families. Participating children also get to visit with Santa, who provides gifts including a stocking full of goodies to each child.

In 2022, Roseburg Police Chief Gary Klopfenstein, Sgt. Daniel Allen and Capt. Jeremy Sanders and 27 other law enforcement personnel took 27 foster kids shopping to buy holiday presents for their families at Walmart. Law enforcement officers came from Roseburg Police, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Community Corrections, Oregon State Police, Cow Creek Tribal Police, Winston and Myrtle Creek Police departments, U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Personnel from many of those same agencies are expected to volunteer at the event this year.

“It’s one of my favorite events because it allows this wonderful interaction between law enforcement officers and children who maybe have had a difficult encounter earlier in their lives. This offers them the opportunity to connect on a friendly and heart-warming level,” said Zielinski, the event organizer and human resources manager at Roseburg’s FCC Furniture.

Police, parole and probation officers will meet Saturday morning at Walmart, 2125 NW Stewart Parkway. The shopping spree, which runs from 9 to 10:30 a.m., is supported this year by $7,500 in donations -- a $2,500 donation from nonprofit Christmas for Kids of Douglas County and a $5,000 donation from Kelley and David Trinchero, who had owned downtown Roseburg’s Knotty Lady Yarns and The Kitchen Sink. Walmart donates wrapping paper, tape, scissors and snacks.

“My husband and I thought that would be a really good thing to contribute to,” Kelley Trinchero said Tuesday, Dec. 5, by phone. “David and I are big supporters of anything for children in the community. What a great way to introduce the kids to the Police Officers in this city -- it gives them a good relationship with the Police Officers in town.”

The generous donations are allowing the event to benefit more children this year and provide each child with $125 to buy holiday presents under a law enforcement officer’s guidance. In addition, gifts from Santa to each participating child will be a little bigger than last year, said Zielinski, adding that more teens signed up than before.

The event is a great opportunity for officers to have a positive impact on the children and each other, Roseburg Police Sgt. Daniel Allen said.

“The goal is to not only help these children have a good Christmas, but to also give them a positive experience with law enforcement,” said Allen.

Journalists who cover the event are asked to respect the children’s privacy and not photograph participating kids’ faces or otherwise identify the child unless the child or a parent has signed a release form provided by event organizers.

About seven years ago, the event became largely funded by Christmas for Kids of Douglas County, a nonprofit that grew from a 16-year-old waitress’ desire to help two little boys more than 20 years ago. Amy Newport was working at Pete’s Drive-in on West Harvard Avenue one summer when two small boys started showing up regularly to buy a milkshake together. They never had enough money, so Newport made up the difference from spare change in her tip jar, said Christmas for Kids of Douglas County Chairman Dale Pritchett.

As summer went on, she noticed the boys always wore the same clothes and shoes. When school started, Newport followed the two boys home to meet their parents. She asked the couple if she could help the boys have Christmas. The parents agreed. Newport set out a Christmas fund collection jar at the drive-in for them, Pritchett said.

The next year, she put out jars all over town and raised enough money to buy Christmas presents for 10 kids whose names she got from a local agency. After turning 18 the next year, Newport got a job with Roseburg Forest Products. As Christmas neared, Newport asked a company foreman if she could set out collection jars. Instead, the foreman suggested setting up an option for payroll deductions. They raised enough money to buy presents for about 150 kids that year.

Soon after, Newport and the foreman talked about the Christmas fundraising effort with Roseburg Forest Products founder Kenneth “Pappy” Ford. He suggested setting up a way for people to donate monthly and offered to match donated funds. By the next year, the fund was able to buy Christmas presents for about 350 children, Pritchett said.

From that, Christmas for Kids of Douglas County was born. Roseburg Forest Products and its employees are still some of their major supporters, along with a lumber and sawmill workers’ union, about 12 local businesses, Greater Douglas United Way and The Ford Family Foundation.

Newport has since gotten married and moved to Eugene. But her attempt to help two small boys one long-ago Christmas grew into a nonprofit that provided Christmas gifts to about 1,200 local children in 2022. Most of the kids are selected by nonprofits including UCAN Head Start, Family Development Center, Family Relief Nursery of North Douglas County, Cow Creek Kindergarten and Healthy Families Oregon, but about 200 low-income families sign up via Christmas for Kids’ website, Pritchett said. Registration usually opens in mid-October and fills up in about two weeks.

Zielinski said she enjoys the way the kids’ faces light up during the holiday shopping spree, which shares important messages on many different levels.

“It’s great to see at the beginning when the kids are a little timid around the Officers. By the end of the event, they’re laughing and joking around and just having so much fun,” she said. “The purpose of this is they’re shopping for their families. This gives them the opportunity to think about the important people in their lives and show gratitude.”

To donate, email info@c4kdc.org or call 541-680-5365 or 541-430-3453. For more information, check out the nonprofit’s website at https://christmasforkidsofdouglascounty.org. Another way to donate is through a Shop with a Cop account Zielinski set up with Greater Douglas United Way. Drop off or mail a check made out to Greater Douglas United Way, 702 SE Jackson St., Roseburg, OR 97470. Be sure to include “Shop with a Cop” on the check’s “for” or “memo” line.