Salvation Army Christmas Castle participants enjoy chance to Shop with a Cop this year
COSHOCTON − The Coshocton Salvation Army Christmas Castle program received a boost this season from the Coshocton County Sheriff's Office.
Each child in the Christmas Castle received $85 to buy hats, boots, coats, gloves, sweaters, pants and more at the Coshocton Walmart. The program is open to children from kindergarten to those who graduated high school this year. The Angel Tree is for children from birth to age 5, and those children received $35, plus other items listed on their Angel Tree tags.
More than the goal of $31,405 was raised through a campaign on WTNS Radio, which started on Black Friday. Leftover funding will be used for emergency situations and possible extra clothing throughout the winter. There were 393 children in 173 households. Those families, plus more than 100 others without kids, also received a food box.
It was the first year for Majors Kevin and Lori Schoch to spearhead the program as they took over the local Salvation Army in the spring. They were amazed at the outpouring of community support.
"People came through quickly for us. It's a good thing and a great opportunity for us," Kevin said.
This was also the first year the Coshocton County Sheriff's Office tied a Shop with a Cop program, popular elsewhere, into the Christmas Castle.
"We're encouraged by that. I know deputies have shopped with families in the past. So, for them to come along and incorporate the Shop With a Cop into that is a good thing," Kevin added.
Sheriff James Crawford said while his officers have helped youth shop in the past, he wanted to do something more formal and focused this year. This included them raising extra money through the sheriff's office. Crawford said they were sponsoring 30 to 35 children on their own.
"I wanted to do something more formal and setup times with the Christmas Castle for the Shop with a Cop program, so we have better interaction with the youth. This way they see us in a better light and more apt to come find us if they need help," Crawford said. "Helping them shop for clothes and necessities puts a smile on their faces and we want to see that."
Lt. J.D. Hardway had done Christmas Castle shopping in the past. He thought it was a great program for the entire community as those in need are assisted in various ways by many residents.
"Just to see the kids' faces. Most of them are usually happy to see us and are very interactive with us, so it's a good night," Hardway said. "They get to see us in a more fun light than they do a lot of times."
Hardway shopped with Virginia Almack and her three children, Kari, 11, Becky, 9, and Annaliese, 18 months. Virginia said the program has been of a great help to her family in the past.
"Kids' clothes are expensive and they grow out of them in a month," she said.
Deputy Josh Walsh has shopped with youth in the past too. This time his 11-year-old daughter, Sophia, came along to help.
"Five years ago when I was here, there was an 8-year-old boy. After we were done checking out, he gave me the biggest hug ever and said it was the greatest day of his entire life. After that, I realized I had to keep coming back to make a difference," Deputy Walsh said.
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Sheriff's office gives Salvation Army's Christmas programs a boost
