“Shop-With-A-Cop” More Than Just a Successful Day in Portland
Chelsea shops with Officer Jami Resch. |
Do building better relationships with law enforcement and
shopping sound like things you could do at the same time? Certainly,
if you know about the Shop-With-A-Cop program, an annual event
in Portland, OR, that makes going back to school a delight
rather than a chore for many parents and children.
For 99 kids and 45 police officers, one summer day turned
out to be fun and helpful as they roamed the aisles of the
local Fred Meyer department store and bought school clothes
and supplies. Each child received store gift cards, a bag of
school supplies, a membership to the Boys & Girls Club,
and a free haircut at the local salon, Hair It Is!
Like a lot of programs, though, Shop-With-A Cop is much more
than a 1-day occurrence, explained event director Rachel Stern,
Resident Resources Program Coordinator at the ROSE Community
Development Corporation (CDC). The ROSE CDC owns and develops
properties for low-income single people and families in Lents/Brentwood-Darlington
Weed and Seed neighborhoods in southeast Portland.
Just in terms of planning the day, the group solidified partnerships
and expanded its relationships with other organizations.
“Weed and Seed has helped us make incredible connections,” Stern
said.
Sharon White, Weed and Seed coordinator, worked with partner
agencies to help promote the event. She also distributed drug-reduction
information, crime prevention brochures, and Weed and Seed
information.
Marquis shops with Officer Aubry Robinson. |
Since the event, children who participated have continued
to develop better relationships with police officers, and those
new relationships have put a network in place for other programs,
Stern said. Residents are now more willing to participate actively
in community programs, and more people are signing up to be
block captains as part of their neighborhood watches. In addition,
two families who were a part of Shop-With-A-Cop are now participating
in the police-led Gang Resistance Education and Training program.
Of course, the event itself has an immediate impact as well.
One ROSE resident said that her kids had a terrific time and
got lots of nice things for the new school year: “You guys
have also helped to relieve a big stress for me. I was not
sure how I was going to get all their stuff for school.”
The response from the community has been incredible, the organizers
said. Event planners believe their objectives were met—to ease
the financial burden of back-to-school expenses; to develop
positive relationships between residents of ROSE's properties
and law enforcement officers; and to help the children go back
to school feeling confident and ready to succeed.
For further information, contact:
Rachel Stern
Resident Resources Program Coordinator
ROSE CDC
503-788-8052
Sharon White
Weed and Seed Site Coordinator
503-988-6127, ext. 228
| 
