Shop with a Cop event returns to Alliston

For the fifth year in a row, an Alliston-area farm has partnered with the local OPP to help make Christmas brighter for some families in need.

On Saturday, Murphy's Farm Market & Bakery and the Nottawasaga OPP teamed up once again for the annual 'Shop with a Cop' event. Nearly two dozen youth were given $100 to spend on gifts for their family or themselves. Each was then matched with an OPP officer who helped them get everything on their list.

"In the store, kids were excited, the police officers were excited," says Phil Sach, the marketing manager for Murphy's Farm Market and Bakery. "Everyone was just really, really happy to be there, and I know that once we got rolling, the kids were getting very excited."

The OPP works with the local school boards to determine youth who need the extra support. This year 23 kids were able to participate in the program.

"Murphy's Farm is all about family, and that's really what this cause is about, is supporting families in the local community who are going through tough times during what should be a magical time of year, and I think it's so important for us to come together with the community to give back to families just like ours and the ones that we serve," says Sach.

The farm fundraises throughout the year to be able to make the event possible.

This year it was held at Alliston's Canadian Tire, which also contributed to the cause.