August 18, 2005
By: MARY A. HARMAN, Staff Writer, ZephyrhillsSun

ZEPHYRHILLS -- Zephyrhills Police Department Detective Ken Keith and Officer Jason Shipley headed the Third Annual Help Your Police Help Our Kids to collect school supplies for the less fortunate on Saturday and Sunday, July 30 and 31, at the Zephyrhills Wal-Mart and K-mart stores, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This year the ZPD worked with STEPS and Toy's for Tots in collecting and distributing school supplies in one central location at the Rotary Youth Building, on 6th Street. Supplies collected on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 6 and 7 will go to the four Zephyrhills schools to be distributed. At Wal-Mart, the ZPD Cop Pop manned by Margie and Ken Keith, and volunteer Mary Tucker and Evelyn Ellison, was on hand to collect cash donations. Also there was a D.A.R.E. vehicle, a ZPD truck and a cruiser. The cruiser provided children an opportunity to sound the siren, which delighted each and everyone of them.

The cash donations of over $6,000 collected on Saturday and Sunday, July 30 and 31 and Saturday and Sunday Aug. 6 and 7, will be used for school supplies for the four schools, for additional supplies, with the balance, to be used for another part of the program, "Shop With A Cop." Police officers will take students that have met qualifications through the ABC Coordinator at the children's school, on a shopping spree to Wal-Mart and K-mart to select new clothing, book bags and other school oriented items to help them get the new school year off to a good start. The generous donations in 2004 allowed the ZPD officers to take 80 children shopping. For the shopping trip the school resource officer and parents will meet with Detective Ken Keith to shop at Wal-Mart and/or K-mart.

Another part of the Shop With A Cop program is the ZPD Cop Pop, operated by Detective Ken Keith and his wife, Margie, owner of Heads Up Beauty Salon. The ZPD Cop Pop sells popcorn and soda pop at downtown events to collect additional money to purchase school supplies and clothes. Everything for this project is free and monies collected go to the project.

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