The largest number of volunteers gathered to help the largest number of children Shop With A Cop Saturday, December 9.
This year’s program, which is sponsored by the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office, grew by a third over previous years as almost 150 children were served.
More than a week after the big shopping day, volunteers were still busy helping the youngsters who could not attend December 9, so the final tally was still growing, having reached 142 children served.
And on the big shopping day, just over 100 volunteers showed up at Fannin County Middle School to help. “It was amazing,” Dawn Cochran, one of the Shop board members, said of the turnout.
Sheriff Dane Kirby thanked the board members and volunteers as they began their day December 9. He praised their dedication and hard work to make Christmas for so many Fannin children a little more joyful.
School Resource Officer Commander Lieutenant Darvin Couch, who heads the Shop board, thanked Kirby. “We couldn’t do it without the sheriff’s support,” he told those gathered.
With that, the day long effort at the Blue Ridge Walmart began with cash registers set aside to take care of the children. Santa and the Grinch also made a special appearance, and hot chocolate and treats awaited the shoppers and volunteers as they left the store.
Even with all the children served that Saturday, three more evenings were set aside to take care of those who could not attend.
“No child will be left out,” Cochran said as she voiced the dedication of Shop’s volunteers to serve Fannin County’s youngsters.
That shows because, with the annual shopping event ending, fundraising has started for next Christmas to make sure no child is left out.
Cochran said the annual Ride the Ridge is scheduled April 13, with more details to follow.
In the meantime, anyone wanting to donate to Shop With A Cop can do so by mailing a check to: Shop With A Cop, P.O. Box 1706, Blue Ridge, Georgia, 30513, or by dropping off a donation at the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office on West Main Street in Blue Ridge.
“We couldn’t take care of all these children without the generous donations from our sponsors and the community. We greatly appreciate each and every one,” Couch said.