BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
There’s no law against stealing someone’s heart, but law enforcement was present at Walmart of Starke in force anyway during an annual event that epitomizes the season and what it means for a community to show love for its children.
A total of 332 children from Bradford County’s public elementary schools as well as Lake Butler Elementary School participated in a $100 shopping spree as part of the 18th annual Starke Shop With a Cop.
As you can imagine, it causes quite the excitement in the children who are chose to participate, but it’s also an emotional experience for the adults who escort the children up and down the store’s aisles. Many who participate as an escort for the first time return again and again because of the joy it brings to their hearts.
“We put smiles on kids’ faces at Christmastime,” said Starke Police Department Maj. Barry Warren, who coordinates the event. “The officers love it, too.”
The event, which was held on Dec. 12 and Dec. 13, pairs children with escorts from law-enforcement agencies as the Starke and Lawtey police departments and Bradford County Sheriff’s Office as well as other agencies such as the Florida Forest Service and the Florida Department of Corrections. In fact, DOC provides the bulk of the escorts as the other local agencies simply don’t have the numbers to match up with all the children.
“Without them, it probably would not be possible, especially with as big as it’s gotten,” Warren said.
It’s a big event because of the community. The number of children who participate is solely determined by the amount of donations Warren receives. Warren cannot say enough about the people and businesses of Bradford County for their support each year.
“Small, small county with the biggest heart,” Warren said. “We cannot do it without that heart.”
Starke Police Chief Jeff Johnson said times are tough for so many right now, but you wouldn’t know if you observed the scene at Walmart during Starke Shop With a Cop.
“I know economically we’re not real strong right now,” Johnson said, “but look at the effort people put into this. This still happens.”
The event got its start during a brainstorming session between members of the Starke Police Department and Brian Jackson, who was the manager of the Starke Walmart at the time. The first Starke Shop With a Cop consisted of 34 children.
In 2021 — 16 years after the inaugural event — the event had grown to consist of 300 additional children.
Some of the businesses that played a big part in helping this year’s event include almost the same number of students as last year were Bradford Gun, which held a drawing for a semi-automatic rifle, raised $6,000, and Community State Bank of Starke, which raised $7,000 through various fundraisers. DLP Capital, of which new Community State Bank Owner Don Wenner is CEO and founder, provided matching funds.
For the last couple of years, donations from Union County have allowed some Lake Butler Elementary students to participate in the event as well. This year’s event consisted of 38 children from Union County.
“I hope they can provide more and bring more kids next year and grow right with it,” Warren said.
As is the case most years, Warren received donations past deadline. He uses those to take care of more children after the official Starke Shop With a Cop dates. When it’s all said and done, he expects the total number of children who benefitted year to be around 380.
So, who gets to participate in Starke Shop With a Cop? Some people mistake the event for serving only those children who come from financially disadvantaged families. Warren said it’s those children, as identified by teachers, administrators and counselors, who have financial, emotional or psychological needs, but who are still striving toward doing their best in school. For example, one year’s event included a student from Hampton whose mother had been in and out of the hospital.
“He was still going to school, but he was crying to his teacher about what was going on with Mom,” Warren said. “He was still doing the right things, so he was selected.”
The day after that student was selected, his mother passed away.
It’s impossible for outsiders to know what’s going on in a particular child’s life. They may come from families that are doing well financially, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to take part in Starke Shop With a Cop.
“Don’t judge who’s there,” Warren said, adding, “(The schools) select the right ones.”
Starke Shop With a Cop is about more than making Christmas a little happier for children. Its intent is to also foster positive relationships between children and law-enforcement officers. Warren encourages escorts to get to know the children they’re paired with. Ask them how they’re doing in school. Ask them about the things they like to do for fun.
Conversely, Warren encourages the children to talk to their escorts. As he likes to tell children before they begin shopping, “I hope you will get to know them and understand that we, as police officers, care about you.”
That’s an understatement when it comes to Warren. He puts in a lot of work making sure Starke Shop With a Cop takes place every year. He also grows his beard out leading up to the event. With the facial hair and a red-and-green outfit, he makes his appearance at the event as “Po-Po Elf.”
Johnson has praised Warren’s efforts in the past (and continues to do so). As part of a 2017 story, Johnson told the Telegraph-Times-Monitor, “It’s evident how much work (Warren) puts into this. He gets the whole community involved. You go anywhere else — this program is second to none.”
Of course, if the community didn’t have a generous heart, it wouldn’t matter how much effort Warren put forth to make Starke Shop With a Cop happen. That’s why an event that started out with 34 kids has now had more than 300 participate in each of the last two years.
“This does not surprise me because this community takes care of its people,” Johnson said. “That’s why I love Starke.”
