Honky Tonk Hollar holds fundraiser for local ‘Shop With a Cop’ program

BETHEL SPRINGS, Tenn. — It’s the season of giving! As the holidays approach, one community is coming together to make someone’s Christmas wish a reality.

Authorities in Chester County and the City of Henderson partner up to give less fortunate children gifts for Christmas. Owners of the Honky Tonk Hollar in Bethel Springs collaborated with law enforcement to provide a fundraiser to give back to kids for the holidays.

“We love giving back. That’s a favorite thing to the community, to be able to give back and we saw that there was a need. The Chester County Sheriff’s Department and the Henderson County Police Department are operating a program called ‘Shop With a Cop’ where they take less fortunate children shopping and let them buy Christmas presents,” said Dayna Patterson, co-owner of The Hollar.

It’s all hands on deck for local authorities, as they are in charge of getting the dinner to the table.

“The cops are the ones doing the serving tonight. We just thought that would be a really fun way to get them involved, as well and just make it fun. They’re going head-to-head to see which team can raise the most money and we do have a trophy for them at the end of the night. So, they’re probably going to be real competitive but we’re real excited that they’re sharing their night with us,” said Billy Patterson, co-owner of The Hollar.

Chief Gary Davidson of the Henderson Police Department expresses the impact to every life touched.

“I think it means a lot when we just see these kids. The joy that it brings them and their families that may not have gotten a Christmas, but this helps a lot,” said Davidson.

Sheriff Mark Griffin of the Chester County Sheriff’s Office tells us more about their shop with a cop.

“The way the program works, every year we accept nominees and we’ll select a certain number of kids from the community. We bring them and their families in and we just share a Christmas experience with them. We have a meal with them, they get to experience riding in a patrol car and then we provide them with gifts for Christmas,” said Sheriff Griffin.

This is the 7th year both law enforcement agencies have come together to make a difference.

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