Christmas comes early as Shop with a Sheriff makes holiday season brighter for Naples families
The Floridant/10290070

NAPLES, Fla. - Floridant -- Some chose new bicycles, or the hottest video game to drop this holiday season. Others opted for school supplies, household essentials or even gifts for friends and family members.

With Christmas just weeks away, local children and their families in Naples got an early taste of the holiday spirit Dec. 1 at the 10th annual Shop with a Sheriff co-hosted by the Collier County Sheriff's Office and the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples.

The donor-supported shopping event pairs Collier County Sheriff's deputies working as youth resource officers in local schools in the Golden Gate community with children from those same schools.

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The nearly 80 children who participated got to build their own shopping lists and were allotted $100 for themselves or their family members.

Participants were then treated to pizza; 200 cups of flavored ice donated by Rita's Italian Ice; and of course, visits with Santa.

"The goal of this event is to provide an opportunity for some of these young kids who may not get to experience all the joys of Christmas that other kids get to experience," said Lt. Neal Bohannon of the Collier County Sheriff's Office. "We're grateful for the partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, and the families are grateful as well. We couldn't be more excited about another year."

The annual shopping excursions, which began in 2015, allow school-assigned deputies to build a rapport with students beyond discipline and patrolling the halls, said Jeffrey Feld, president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples.

"It's more than just a day of shopping with deputies," he said. "Because of this program, there are relationships now between people who live in the community and the Sheriff's Office. It's been wonderful."