Fifty Sevier County Kids Shop with a Cop at Target

Target partnered with Sevier County Law Enforcement Agencies to provide dozens of deserving children with a Christmas Shop With a Cop experience they will likely never forget.

The Target store located at 5405 Washington Pike in Knoxville recently reached out to the Sevierville Police Department, asking what they could do to help Sevier County children who have been affected by the recent wildfires in the area. The department and other agencies often sponsor Shop With a Cop events for underprivileged children, so it made sense to partner with Target to meet the needs of our wildfire victims who are in need.

The partnership quickly grew beyond the Sevierville Police Department to include all Sevier County law enforcement agencies: Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, Pigeon Forge Police Department, Gatlinburg Police Department and Pittman Center Police Department.

“We are so thankful for Target’s generous gift to our children,” said Sevierville Police Chief Don Myers. “We are hopeful that this will help the children affected by the recent wildfires to have a wonderful Christmas.”

The Sevier County School System identified school children to attend the event. Tuesday evening, officers from each of the above law enforcement agencies met at Gatlinburg-Pittman High School to greet fifty Gatlinburg-area children, who were loaded on school buses for the trip to Target. Police vehicles provided an “escort” for the buses. At the Target store, officers and children were paired-up for their Christmas shopping trip, sponsored by Target, which gave over $18,000 for the children to purchase gifts.