Antioch Police Department hosts annual Shop with a Cop event

ANTIOCH – The Antioch Police Department teamed up again with the Raymond Auto Group to host the annual “Shop with a Cop” event.

Along with help from other community partners, this year’s “Shop with a Cop” helped spread holiday cheer to more than 50 local children and their families.

Each year, the Antioch Police Department works with Antioch schools to identify needful families with children between the ages of 5 and 12. This year, more than 50 children from 29 families were invited to participate.

The children enjoyed a party with pizza courtesy of Johnny’s Snack Shop and a visit with Santa at the Raymond Chevy/Kia dealership. As in years past, Raymond Auto Group employees drew a participating child’s name and bought a gift for that child, which Santa gave to the child. After the party at the dealership, the families were escorted to Walmart to “Shop with a Cop.”

Antioch Police Chief Geoffrey Guttschow is thankful for the support the “Shop with a Cop” event receives from the Antioch community. Specifically, the event could not happen without the support and financial contribution of the Raymond Auto Group and owner Mark Scarpelli.

“The Antioch community never fails to amaze me with its generosity,” Guttschow said. “Mark Scarpelli and his staff at the Raymond Auto Group continue to step up and support this program with time and money. Without Mark’s support, “Shop with a Cop” would not happen. His generosity has allowed us to grow the shopping spree amount per child from $100 to $125, plus each family will be provided a $100 gift card toward a traditional holiday meal.”

The Raymond Auto Group has been a partner of the Antioch “Shop with a Cop” event since its beginning more than 20 years ago.