***Originally posted December 21, 2020

This year, among the other donations we have made, we made two donations specific to making the holidays a little brighter for some people in our community who need it. WCSO did it's annual "Shop With a Cop" event. WCSO Community Education and Outreach Specialist Kody Harris contacted WCPOA to see if we could help fund the COVID version of "Shop With a Cop". We gladly did. Kody sent us the below very nice letter and included pictures.

Additionally, WCPOA donated $2,020 to a local shelter for women and children escaping domestic violence situations. Their funding was reported to us as being well below target for the holiday season in part due to COVID and we wanted to be sure the mothers and children in this unfortunate situation in this year, of all years, were sure to have some kind of holiday cheer. The board voted unanimously to approve the $2,020 donation. The name, location and contact for the shelter is a fairly closely guarded secret to help keep the folks there safe. A deputy (member of WCPOA) whose family member voulenteers wtih the shelter reached out to let us know the situation and ask if we could help.

"It is with deepest gratitude that we would like to thank the WCPOA for the $300 Visa Gift Card donation for the 2020 Shop With A Cop Events. Normally, this annual contribution would have supported our festive party with the community after shopping. As nothing is normal in 2020, your contribution allowed us to make party/goody bags for each family, containing snacks, treats, a blanket and stockings filled with toys and joy for all of our Tobias Elementary families in Aloha. WCPOA’s contribution, in combination with their gift bags and a bag of food from Westside Food Brigade made for a very abundant socially distanced Shop With a Cop 2020.Thank you for supporting this event and giving back to our community you serve so honorably."