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Fundraiser adds spice to holidays
Sheriff's office chili cook-off aids Shop With a Cop
Friday, Nov. 20, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Submitted photo
Attendees line up to sample chili at a cook-off Saturday to benefit the Shop With a Cop program being organized by local officers.
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There might not seem to be much connection between chili and Christmas, but over the weekend, Charles County officers bridged the gap by holding their second-annual cook-off to raise funds for a holiday program.
More than 20 chili recipes vied for top spot at the Saturday afternoon cook-off in La Plata, according to officer John Long of the Charles County Sheriff's Office. The event collected about $1,700 for Shop With a Cop, a program that gives kids from low-income families a chance to buy something special for Christmas.
"People had a really good time," Long said of the chili cook-off.
Long, who organizes Shop With a Cop along with officer Colby Shaw, said he was able to sample most of the chili, adding that most people made it with hamburger, while others opted to use steak or chicken. And of course, all of the entries featured a secret ingredient, Long said.
The cooks of the most successful entries stood by their chili and tried to sell their concoctions.
"Believe it or not, it was pretty competitive," Long said.
The winner was a spicy hamburger chili cooked by a pair of sheriff's officers, according to Long, who said officer Mike Smith planned the Saturday event.
Shop With a Cop is scheduled for Dec. 5 and will kick off at about 8:30 a.m. at the Waldorf Elks Lodge, where kids and sheriff's officers will meet before making the short trip to Walmart. Once there, the children will receive some money to purchase clothes and other essentials, but they can decide how to spend an additional amount. Sheriff's officers will accompany the kids as they shop, then take them back to the Elks Lodge to eat lunch and wrap their gifts.
Long said that 53 kids participated in Charles County's first Shop With a Cop event, and the goal is to raise enough money so 75 children can be involved this Christmas.
How to help
Donations for Shop With a Cop can be mailed to P.O. Box 160 Bryantown, MD 20617. Make checks payable to the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 24.
