Hoping to make the holidays a little brighter for dozens of underprivileged area children, local sheriff’s deputies are planning an auction Friday to raise money to buy gifts. The annual Shop with a Cop Auction has been embraced by local officers and the community for more than a decade. Each year hundreds of items, many donated by local businesses, are put up for bids. The auction is sponsored each year by The Fraternal Order of Police Gold Star Lodge 188.
The group hopes to raise at least $10,000 this year. Officers generally spend between $200 and $300 per child, plus they give $100 gift cards to every child in the county’s foster care system. “This is a way for us to show the community we do more than just arrest people and write tickets,” said Washington County sheriff’s Deputy Scott Mankins. “We really care about our community, especially our children.” Friday’s auction begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Marietta Shrine Club.
A few weeks after the auction, about 25 officers will pair up with children and spend a few hours Christmas shopping Mankins said most officers really take an interest in the children and try to learn about their lives and situations. He said it makes it hard to keep within their budgets sometimes. “Out of each child’s budget we encourage them to get a little something small for a parent or a sibling,” he said.
“We always try to keep to our limit, but most of us exceed that and always throw a couple of extra things in the cart. It’s hard not to.” Mankins said he hopes the community will continue to be as generous this year. Friday’s event includes raffles, a silent auction and live auction. Mankins said more than 70 local businesses have donated items.