NORWICH — The Chenango County Sheriff's Office and the Chenango County Law Enforcement Association are holding their sixth annual Shop with a Sheriff event on Saturday, December 18. More than 30 children within the Chenango County school districts will be selected to receive $200 to spend at the Norwich Walmart.

"What we do is, we raise funds that are donated by community businesses, individuals, and our own money that we raise, money that we donate from our own pockets," said Chenango County Sheriff's Office Detective and Union President Chad O'Hara. "We reach out to the schools, we have the schools select kids that are in need or deserving of joining the event."

On the day of the event, participating children will be paired with a Sheriff's Deputy who will take them shopping.

"We pick a day in December to do it. Each kid is provided with $200 that they can spend on themselves," said O'Hara. "The morning of the event, which is, this year it's going to be December 18, they're going to be paired up with a Road Patrol Deputy, and we'll go down to the local Walmart and go shopping with the kids."

The Shop with a Sheriff event first began in 2016, and was spearheaded by a Sheriff's Deputy and Detective Sergeant Gary Miller.

"It was started by a Deputy that used to work here, and our now-Detective Sergeant Gary Miller. [They] heard about a program called Shop with a Cop that was going around, and for years they were trying to come up with stuff to interact with the community and the kids more, just to give them, you know, a positive look on the police side of it. And they started Shop with a Sheriff," said O'Hara.

Over the past six years, the program has only grown. O'Hara said the amount of kids they are able to accommodate for the event has more than doubled.

"I think we started off the first year with maybe 15 kids, and since then we've more than doubled it," he said. "We're now doing 30 or more kids, depending on the schools. And then on top of that we also do, there was numerous families that reached out to us last year that needed help, that were being placed in hotels from CPS and DSS and stuff like that. So we went and bought a bunch of gifts for the families, and had the Sheriff's Deputies deliver them right to the hotels and the houses."

"We also try to keep presents on hand for like, a last minute emergency thing. So like one year we had a family show up here, and the Sheriff and Undersheriff hand delivered presents to families that were in need that came to the Sheriff’s Office to pick them up," he added.

Shop with a Sheriff is made possible by the generosity of local businesses and individuals who donate each year.

"We try to do as much as we can. Unfortunately we're limited, but we do the best that we can, with the help from the community, definitely," said O'Hara. "Without the businesses and the individuals donating, the event would definitely not be possible."

According to the Chenango County Law Enforcement Association Facebook page, donations for the 2021 event have been received from Charles and Theresa Mastro, Norwich Glass, Chiarino Insurance Agency, A&J Auto Reco LLC, R.J. Fahy Funeral Home, Guy's Auto Repair, Chenango Welding Supply LLC, Advanced Fire Protection Company Inc., Countryside Stove and Chimney, and Undersheriff Frair.

Local businesses or individuals wishing to donate can do so by contacting Detective Chad O'Hara or Detective Jeffrey Barton at the Chenango County Sheriff's Office. Additionally, checks made out to “Shop with a Sheriff” can be mailed directly to the Sheriff's Office at 279 County Road 46, in Norwich, addressed to the attention of Nate Warner or Chad O'Hara.

"The main thing I like to stress is, it's definitely not possible without the businesses and individuals of Chenango County that keep donating year after year," said O'Hara. "Even though, you know, with COVID it's putting a strain on businesses, and the individual household income, they still find the money and time to donate, so it's greatly appreciated."