By Erin Smith
In late November, after Thanksgiving dinner has been served, many people begin to think about Christmas. One group of law enforcement officers’ wives want to make sure those who protect and serve our citizens in Bladen County are not forgotten during the Christmas holiday. The Third Annual Bladen County Adopt-A-Cop for Christmas is now under way.
Melanie Davis, one of the event’s organizers, said, “I think it is very humbling to experience and to see the love and appreciation for the officers.”
This year, Bladen County Adopt-A-Cop is honoring fallen Trooper Kevin Conner. There will be boxes placed at Bladenboro Hardware, Whimsical Florist in Elizabethtown and Dragonfly Coffee in Elizabethtown for people to leave cards for the Conner family.
The officers included in the Bladen County Adopt-A-Cop program are the White Lake Police Department, Elizabethtown Police Department, Bladenboro Police Department, Bladen County Sheriff’s Office, Highway Patrol, Park Rangers and Wildlife Officers who serve in Bladen County. There are 120 officers who work in Bladen County and as of Monday, all but 20 officers have been adopted.
Adopting a cop for Christmas is easy. All you have to do is contact Davis by calling 910-308-8148 or by email at bladencountyadoptacop@ yahoo.com. You can adopt as many officers as you wish.
The way it works is you will be given the officer’s name and you write them an appreciation letter or thank you note and you spend about $25 on a gift for them (a gift card, a goody basket, etc.). You will receive instructions on where to drop off your gift for the officer you have adopted. This year’s deadline for gifts to be dropped off is December 12th.
The “Adopt a Cop” program was organized 2016 by a group of law enforcement wives. Davis said she saw a similar program being organized by a law enforcement officer’s wife near Concord. The idea behind the program is to have citizens from around the county to “adopt” an officer. The adopter writes a note to the officer voicing their support and offering prayers. The program is done on a semi-annual basis.
Davis said during the holidays officers are in their patrol cars and away from their families and missing out on “family time.”
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