Christmas spirit on display at ‘Shop with an Officer’ event

(Above) Clear Lake Police Department Dispatcher Whitney Hill helped Layla Jackson do some Christmas shopping Monday night at Larson’s Mercantile.  This was the third year for the Shop With A Police Officer event.-Reporter photo by Chris Barragy.

Christmas spirit was soaring Monday afternoon at Larson’s Mercantile, as the annual Shop with a Police Officer event filled the aisles.

Officer Eric Hythacker, who headed up the third annual event for the Clear Lake Police Benevolence Association, explained that each year about 30 elementary school students from Clear Lake and Ventura (communities served by the Clear Lake Police Department) are chosen to participate in this event with officers in which they get to shop for an item they want, an item they need, and a gift for someone else. The gifts are paid for by local sponsors. Primary sponsors this year for the gifts were Larson’s Mercantile and the Clear Lake Lions Club. The Benevolence Association also used money raised through fundraiser or donations for the gifts.

“The kids were most excited to buy a sibling or friend a gift, or sometimes a parent,” explained Officer Hythacker.  “Some kids were shy, or timid around the officers in uniform at first, but by the end many had big smiles on their faces. This is one way we see the benefits of having positive interactions and giving back to the community.”

This year the local Rotary Club sponsored gift wrapping for the kids along with pizza at Clear Lake Bank & Trust following their shopping experience.

There were 11 police officers and three dispatchers involved in the two-day event this year.

Another new feature of the event this year was stockings for the boys and girls given by dispatchers and wives of some officers.  The stockings contained toiletry and bath items in addition to some snacks.   Clear Lake Pediatric Dentistry donated some tooth care kits (toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.) for the stockings.

“It is such a joy to see the many smiling faces, not just from the kiddos, but the staff, parents and merchants participating as well. It’s a positive interaction for all involved, creating a more trusting relationship overall,” said Sara Puttmann, Student/Family Services coordinator for the Clear Lake School District.