Annual ‘Cops Target Kids’ event gives Kannapolis students a Christmas they won’t soon forget
Published 12:10 am Wednesday, December 6, 2023
The "Cops Target Kids" program gives local students a chance to buy toys at Target. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
All students had $450 to spend on anything they wanted. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
Besides Target, students went to Rack Room Shoes and got a Food Lion gift card. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
The Kannapolis Police Department takes a group picture with the students who were selected for the "Cops Target Kids" program. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
Before everyone went shopping, the police officers got to talk and hang out with the students they "adopted" for the day. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
To add to the overall experience, the students were driven to Target in actual police cars. Brad Dountz/Salisbury Post.
KANNAPOLIS — There’s no magical feeling that can beat waking up on Christmas morning and opening presents placed under the tree. For many families, it’s a tradition unlike any other. For some, buying Christmas presents is incredibly difficult financially and countless kids are left with nothing during the holidays. For over a decade, the Kannapolis Police Department has worked towards remedying that problem.
On Dec. 5, the Kannapolis Police Department kicked off their 12th annual “Cops Target Kids” program, where students from the Kannapolis City School System are adopted by an officer and driven to Target in police cars to buy toys, clothes and any other items that they may need.
Deputy Chief Daniel Wallace first started the program and it has only helped more and more families as the years go by. All of the police officers who participate in the program volunteer their own time and do so on their day off to make sure it does not affect the department’s ability to operate.
“We noticed back then that there were some children that were possibly not going to get a Christmas at all,” Community Services Sergeant Travis Kiser said.
The schools select the students who they think would benefit the most from the program. After they are picked, the department then starts calling those families to ask about clothing sizes and what their kids want for Christmas. Each kid is given $450 to spend on whatever they want. Before they go to Target, the officers and students meet at the Kannapolis City Hall building to get to know each other and have breakfast together. When they get back, they are treated with lunch and a chance to take pictures with Santa Claus.
Kiser says the money comes from donations from businesses and individuals around Kannapolis and that selfless spirit truly makes a difference for these students. Officers also take the students next door to Rack Room Shoes to buy a new pair of shoes and they give each of the students a $50 gift card from Food Lion on top of everything else.
“At the end of the day, it’s about giving back to the community. We’ve always been about this, this is our 12th time doing this. I can tell you as this program has grown, what I have found so fulfilling is the amount of community resources who want to participate and be a part of this program,” Kannapolis Police Chief Terry Spry said.
On Tuesday, the department invited 20 kids and there will be an additional 20 on Thursday. Besides giving back to families, “Cops Target Kids” is a way for the police to develop a lasting relationship with the students.
“This is just a great way of bonding. This might be the only opportunity these kids actually get to see an officer in a good light,” Kiser said.
For Bryce Boyd, 12, this is the first time he has been chosen for the “Cops Target Kids” program. Boyd said he was looking forward to buying a new pair of headphones and controller so he can talk to his friends while playing video games. Thanks to the Kannapolis Police Department, Boyd can have the kind of Christmas every kid deserves.
“It’s awesome. This really changed my life, this is the best Christmas I‘ve had so far. It’s probably the best Christmas ever.” Boyd said.
