OPERATION BACKPACK

Operation Backpack ensures children are prepared to learn and succeed in the classroom by providing a free backpack and school supplies to students most in need.

Students are paired with a uniformed police officer who helps the child fill his/her new backpack with the necessary school supplies as well as a new book to add to their home library. Corporate sponsors, individual donors, and community volunteers also assist in this program.

READERS ARE LEADERS

Reading is the foundation for all learning. Third grade is considered the moment in students’ lives when they make the transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn”, a make-or- break period for academic success.

The student who misses the opportunity to learn to read before the 4th grade almost never catches up. Nearly 90% of students who do not earn a high school diploma struggle to read in 3rd grade. 85% of teenagers in the juvenile justice system have difficulty reading.

Readers are Leaders is a 10-week reading program for third graders designed to support reading improvement or stabilization. Recognizing the importance of motivation, encouragement, and support, SWACSV provides a robust learning opportunity. Students not only join a reading program, but they also engage in a learning challenge with significant rewards. Students reading levels are measured at the beginning and end of the program to measure growth. During the program, the students receive free books, participate in special events where Top Readers and Most Improved Students are recognized, and reading is celebrated by students, parents, and police officers together. Students who demonstrate significant reading growth and have perfect attendance during the program are rewarded by participation in the Heroes & Helpers Holiday Shopping Spree.

HEROES & HELPERS HOLDAY SHOPPING SPREE

Each December, the Shop with a Cop Foundation of Silicon Valley hosts third-grade students from our Title I partner schools for a Heroes & Helpers holiday shopping spree at a local Target store. Most participating students earn their place through the Readers Are Leaders 10-week reading challenge. Additional children are invited to participate if they have experienced traumatic crisis in their young lives due to crime or significant medical challenges.

The day begins with breakfast, where each child is paired with a uniformed police officer who remains by their side throughout the experience. Students receive a minimum $200 Target gift card to purchase gifts for their family members and themselves. Together with their officer “shopping buddy,” they are escorted throughout the store for this special holiday experience.

Volunteers and donors play a vital role in making this event possible, and local sports celebrities and team mascots often join in to help create a joyful, memorable celebration for every child.

COVID-19 FOOD RELIEF

One year into the pandemic, hunger is more pervasive than ever among households throughout the Bay Area. Widespread, devastating layoffs have left many people finding it hard to pay for basic necessities.

This is especially true in the communities of the schools we partner with. SWACSV responded to this unprecedented need by hosting food distribution events at our partners' schools, where families were provided with food boxes, gift cards for grocery shopping, books for children, and other community resources supported by uniformed officers in a COVID safe drive through distribution.