By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
Pictures from the 2025 Northfield Shop With A Cop. Provided by the Northfield Police Department.
In mid-October, several Rice County children had the opportunity to participate in the annual Shop With A Cop program. The program pairs young kids with a local Police Officer or sheriff’s deputy and gives them the chance to shop together. While the program is available in many counties, it typically takes place in December, when kids purchase toys and gifts for the holidays. However, Rice County instead takes a more unique approach, hosting the event in mid-October with the goal of buying winter gear as well.
According to Rice County Sheriff Jesse Thomas, 12 kids in Northfield and 12 in Faribault participate, each with a $125 budget.
Listen to the News:
“And then we focus on winter clothing to make sure they have boots, hats, stuff like snow pants, stuff like that. And then we buy like a one fun item and then clothing just to make sure that they have nice stuff for school.” – Jesse Thomas, Rice County Sheriff on KYMN In The Morning
After shopping, everyone gathers together for pizza and snacks. The program is primarily funded via the Salvation Army Red Kettles. Which Thomas cited was a great example of how the funds raised from the kettle mainly stay locally in the county.
Northfield Police Chief Jeff Schroefper said that he loved seeing the positive reaction from community members when they see officers participating:
“Just to see the public’s reaction to the first thought is like, what is going on? What are all these law enforcement officers doing here? And some will come out and ask, Hey, what’s going on? And just they’ll go from that look of concern until you tell them, hey, at shop with a cop, we’re buying winter clothes for all these kids. And just the excitement and even people that aren’t involved, it’s incredible to see and it’s amazing to see.” – Jeff Schroepfer, Northfield Police Chief on KYMN In The Morning
The Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign Begins in November. Will have more information about the program on-air in November.
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