5th ANNUAL SHOP WITH A DEPUTY
- Putnam County Sheriff
- Dec 19, 2023
- 2 min read
Dec. 19, 2023
On Sunday we hosted our fifth Shop with a Deputy event. Our primary focus is teenagers who are in state care, victims of crime or have in some way needed positive interaction with law enforcement. Why do we focus on teens? Most Christmas drives are geared toward children, leaving less donations for older youth.
Our first year, we started with 7 teenagers who were able to spend $75 each. This year we expanded to 17 youth who each were able to spend $200 (money doesn't go as far as when we started).
The money for this event is donated primarily by deputies and staff here at the sheriff's office. As word has spread we also received gift cards from local community organizations. We are also grateful to the shoppers who handed us money while shopping at to others in the community who heard about our cause. We are always overwhelmed by the generosity of our community!
So what do the teenagers buy? It's probably not what you think. While we had 4 Squishmallows purchased, most of our teenagers are buying for younger siblings or family members. One purchased a microwave for his family. Lots of socks and underwear, bath kits, hoodies, shoes, blankets, pillows, Doritos, fruit and other snacks - many of the items we take for granted as necessities.
Afterwards we took our entourage to Pizza Hut for lunch and fellowship, allowing the teenagers to talk to the deputies. Each year this event touches our hearts and the hearts of our deputies. Several of the teens we check in with throughout the year.
We never plan to make this a huge event so we can maintain the closer personal interactions with the youth. However, we will continue to grow the event.
Special thanks to Pineland Lodge, NWTF, Palatka Walmart Associates, Palatka Pizza Hut and the numerous anonymous donors who helped us increase not only number of teenagers, but also the amount they could spend.
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What an inspiring event! Slope Run The 5th Annual Shop With a Deputy truly strengthens community ties and fosters positive relationships with law enforcement. Thank you for sharing such uplifting stories!
This kind of community initiative shows a more human side of law enforcement, especially when the focus is on teenagers in vulnerable situations and giving them both support and dignity through simple choices like shopping for themselves or their families. It’s interesting how small, structured events like this can build long-term trust and emotional impact. If stories like this were turned into more visual storytelling—before/after impact, participant journeys, etc.—they could reach even more people. Tools like Nano AI could help create visual narratives or campaign materials that highlight the real-life outcomes of programs like this.
The most meaningful part of this event isn’t the shopping itself, but the connection it builds between deputies and teens who may not always have positive interactions with authority figures. That kind of face-to-face engagement can have lasting effects beyond a single day. After reading something emotionally grounded like this, people often appreciate a light break to switch context. A simple game like baseball bros game can be an easy way to decompress before returning to the day.
This is a really grounded and human story—less about the event itself and more about dignity, trust, and small acts of support that matter a lot in real life. It’s also a reminder that community programs often succeed through consistency rather than scale. After reading something like this, it can be nice to take a short mental reset before moving on. A quick puzzle break with something like wordle infinite can help clear the mind while still staying lightly engaged.