Trooper Kim Miller and her shopper
seem to be filling up their cart.

With the Holiday season here once again, Lake County Police Charities hosted its 6th annual Shop With A Cop charity event at the Mount Dora Wal-Mart. Representatives from the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Transportation, the Division of Driver Licenses, the Lake County Sheriff's Office, and Police Departments from Mount Dora, Eustis, Tavares, Leesburg, Fruitland Park, Lady Lake, Clermont, Groveland, Mascotte, Umatilla, and Astatula -- all volunteered their time to provide a brighter Christmas for several hundred disadvantaged children from the Lake County area.

Shop With A Cop provides gifts for Lake County children who are the victims of unfortunate circumstances. In addition, the program teaches these children that troopers and other law enforcement officers, deputies, and local police officers are people they can trust and depend on in a time of crisis.

Two hundred fifteen participating children's names were submitted by law enforcement officers from the community. The children's families were asked to assemble at the Mount Dora Wal-Mart on Saturday morning, along with over 100 law enforcement officers. A uniformed officer escorted each child during the shopping event, allowing each child to spend $100 on any items they wanted. Lake County Sheriff Gary Borders also raffled off several hundred donated bicycles at the event.

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