For over a decade, the Ames Shop with a Cop program has been helping disadvantaged families during the holiday season.

Under the program, officers from around the area help make Christmas shopping easier and more fun for children in Ames.

“Shop with a Cop is a program where families within Ames that may have limited financial resources are brought into the program, and they have opportunity to go on shopping trip with an officer,” said Ames Police Commander Jim Robinson.

The children who participate start out by gathering at the Boys and Girls Club, where they are paired with officers. They then travel on donated CyRide buses to Kmart, 1405 Buckeye Ave., for breakfast and shopping. At the end of the trip, CyRide takes the children back to the Boys and Girls Club to wrap their presents with some help from the Ames Business Women’s Guild.

Ames Community Resource Officer Harry “Bud” Samms said that other stores have offered to help the program as well.

“Other stores have offered, but Kmart was the very first one to partner with us,” he said. “They were the first to work with us, and they have been very generous to us over the years.”

Samms also said that the fact that the kids are actually able to shop for a gift makes it more meaningful because they can buy something personal for their family members.

“There’s something under the tree. There’s something they don’t expect,” Samms said. “This really reflects how generous people are in this community – that they are willing to donate and are willing to help the kids actually shop instead of just giving a gift.”

The Ames Police is not alone in the Shop With a Cop program. The ISU Police, Story County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ankeny, Huxley and Nevada Police Departments, as well as National Guardsmen, have also helped out in the past.

“It’s not just Ames,” Samms said. “We are the core, but we can’t claim all the credit.”

Officers are not the only people who shop with the children. Samms said that, in the past, ISU athletes have also helped out with the program.

“That has been great, because not all children want to grow up to be police officers,” he said. “They are getting their education and they’re athletes – a huge goal to aspire to.”

Lieutenant Dru Toresdahl of the Story County Sheriff’s Department said his agency usually has up to 3 or 4 officers participate in the program each year.

“Right now they have a sign-up sheet going around. There’s at least two names,” Toresdahl said.

Toresdahl said that the department’s involvement with the program was important in building strong relationships with children in the area.

“It’s always good for kids to see that cops are there to help out and can see them on that level ,as opposed to making a traffic stop and writing a ticket,” he said.

Toresdahl said that the program is also beneficial to the officers, as they can use the experience to “enjoy going out there and interacting with the kids.”

Toresdahl said that he could not remember how long the Story County Sheriff’s Department had been involved with the program, but it got “heavily involved about 2 years ago.”

“The Ames PD invited us. They did all the legwork of setting things up, and they sent us an invitation,” he said. “Those things get going and people get involved in it, it takes off, and people lose track.”

According the Ames Police Department’s Web site, over one thousand area children have been a part of the Shop With a Cop Program.

“Our max was around 120 families, [with] a couple participants per family,” Samms said.

Although the program benefits to families in need, Samms said that, in order to maximize the donations during the holiday season, the department has tried to “scale back” from 120 participants.

“[There are] so many good programs that we can’t ask people to donate. We can’t ask people to keep giving and giving, hoping not to push the limit,” he said.

To participate in Shop With a Cop, families submit applications located at various places throughout Ames.

“We have some at the police department, we send some to schools, and send some to the Boys and Girls Club,” Samms said.

Samms said that all applications are reviewed to make sure that no family is abusing the system, although those instances are “very rare.”

“Our record staff folks, in their spare time, go through and sort out who’s got the kids old enough or young enough to shop with us,” Samms said. “We kind of look for recommendations. We don’t want to suspect anyone of abusing the system, but we look them over once or twice.”

Toresdahl said that those who want to help the program should donate to the Ames Police Department.

“I know the Ames PD sends out their donation requests and, if people just help donate, it just helps us to get kids out there and get them what they really need,” he said.

Samms said that those interested in donating to the program should also help support the business that are involved with the program such as Kmart, CyRide and the Business Women’s Guild.

This year’s Shop With a Cop will take place on Dec. 15. The program had been planned for an earlier date, but Samms said that they hardly expected the children to wait too long to open their presents.