Steve Brown from the Portage Co. Sheriff's Office answers questions about curious passersby about the Dec. 14 Shop with a Cop event. (Metro Wire photo)

Annual ‘Shop With a Cop’ delights more than 20 kids, officers

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By Brandi Makuski

Nearly two dozen law enforcement officers descended upon Walmart on Dec. 14 to help 21 local kids with some Christmas shopping.

In a partnership with Walmart that spans over a decade, Officer Seth Pionke, known by most village schoolchildren as “Officer Seth,” facilitates the annual shopping trip.

Although the program was launched 16 years ago, 2023 marks the 14th annual Shop With a Cop, as events were canceled during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pionke said his department gets referrals from social workers, and the teachers keep an eye out in the schools, for kids who might be deserving of the program.

“It’s so nice to take the kids shopping. It’s a lot of fun for us, the officers, but sometimes it takes a little bit for some of the kids to warm up to us,” he said.

Pionke said it’s not just low-income students who are referred to the program. Any deserving student might be identified, including kids from single-parent homes, or children whose family has had a rough year. This year, students in kindergarten aged through junior high were chosen.

The program has grown over time, and this year, officers from Plover, the Wisconsin State Patrol, Portage Co. Sheriff’s Office deputies and corrections, Stevens Point Police Department and Auxiliary, and the UWSP Police Department participate, as staffing allows.

Thanks to a “very generous private donor,” monetary donations throughout the year, and help from Walmart, a local Pepsi distributor, Polito’s Pizza, and others, each child was allotted about $175, Pionke said.

Pionke said several shoppers approached officers, curious about the heightened police presence. Some even gave the officers cash to help support the program, he said.

Officers spent about 30 minutes helping the kids choose different Barbie dolls and board games, shaving kits, and perfumed lotions, for their immediate family members.

After the shopping was complete, the group joined at the village hall to wrap presents, with help from the officers and other volunteers. Lunch was provided by Polito’s Pizza in Stevens Point.

Pionke said donations to keep the program running are taken year-round at the Plover Police Department, 2420 Post Rd.