It was meant to be a shopping spree; a holiday escape from hardships.

 

But several times throughout Sunday’s Shop with a Cop event at the Target store in Middletown, reality reared its head.

 

The father of one of the children selected to take part, through referrals by area schools to buy toys with money donated by local residents and business, reluctantly asked Newtown Township police Cpl. Paul Deppi if they could pick up some diapers.

 

Another girl set her sights on blankets, wondering if she could get one for her mom and dad because the heat in the house doesn’t work well, said Deppi. Deppi said the families were “overwhelmed” with gratitude and even the shoppers enjoyed watching the kids make the rounds around the store.

 

“Some just came up to hug us,” he added. “I passed by one lady three times and each time she broke out in tears.”

 

While it was officially Newtown Township’s first time taking part, Deppi had helped out and observed the operation in Richland previously.

 

 

He knew what kind of emotional and tangible effect it had on both the kids and cops, but he still felt a sense of uncertainty from some of his younger officers when the idea was brought to them.

 

They ended up loving it, he said.

 

“Some of them were scheduled to just come by for an hour ended up staying for three hours,” Deppi said. “We got to be able to show that not only are we cops but we’re fathers and mothers and coaches and members of the community too.”