ALLENTOWN, Pa. — When Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority Officer Tim Varga sat the bags down at the table, Journey Ruppert, 11, told him she didn’t know how to wrap.
Varga guided Ruppert on how to use the scissors, how to get the perfect shape and slowly but surely, the present came together.
“I’ve been doing this awhile,” chuckled Varga.
Varga has been participating in Shop With A Cop for six years.
“Everyone expects us in an emergency or crisis, but we’re also community-oriented. We have big hearts. We have a softer side,” he said.
“Everyone expects us in an emergency or crisis, but we’re also community-oriented. We have big hearts. We have a softer side."Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority Officer Tim Varga
Shop With A Cop entered its seventh year by adding more kids to the mix. This year, 25 children from Catasauqua Middle School boarded a bus to Target in Hanover Township, where they spent $250 on their families.
Varga said that convincing Ruppert to buy something for herself was difficult.
“These kids are so unselfish,” he said. “The innocence of a child is so pure.”
Then, the kids came back to the middle school to wrap all of the presents for their families, complete with a pizza party and barbecue provided by Mission BBQ in Allentown.
Officer Wayne Green was hired at the beginning of November, so this was his first time participating in the event.
“This is a very, very good thing,” said Green. “It's the police and community helping each other.”
Saydie Kipp, 10, couldn’t wait to go shopping for her family and friends. One of her favorite things to do during the holidays is gifting presents to others.
“I was all happy and excited to help!” she said.
Sponsors for Shop With A Cop included Target, Lehigh Valley Community Benefit, Phillipsburg / Easton Honda, Home Depot, and Mission BBQ. Gift cards to Weis and Wegmans were handed out to the children as a gift from the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority.
To top it all off, two very special guests came to visit. Santa and Mrs. Claus visited the children to thank them for their generosity.
In all, the event was bright, merry and full of cheer.