(Fremont County, WY) – Adopt-A-Cop is an annual holiday giving project founded locally by 12-year-old Melody McLeod, in partnership with the Fremont County Law Enforcement Foundation.
Melody gathered enough donations from local banks, businesses, and organizations to fill 141 stockings for all the law enforcement agencies in Fremont County, including the Sheriff’s Office and the Lander, Riverton, and Dubois Police Departments.
“My mom helped me a lot with it last year, and this year both my mom and my dad helped me a lot with it,” Melody shared. “This year, my dad has been the one who has been driving me around and helping me a lot. They’ve made one of the biggest differences.”
“When I was doing homeschooling last year, I had to do ‘10 Acts of Kindness’ for people a week, and I decided to choose a cop,” she added. “But then I thought, why just one, why not give to all of them? So I decided to start Adopt-A-Cop, and then it just kind of grew to this year.”
Last year’s Adopt-A-Cop was for Riverton PD. but this year, Melody extended it to all of the agencies in Fremont County, including Riverton’s airport security. “I just felt like we could give to all of them and make everybody feel important.”
Carol Harper of Frontier Ambulance, who also sits on the FCLEF board, assisted Melody and her family with the deliveries on Monday.
“Melody has a heart of gold,” Harper said. “Last year she had a vision, rolled with it, put a lot of work and time into this, and has had our total support. Connecting our agencies, our youth, and our communities is huge, and I want to thank all of the officers and staff who came out to receive her stockings.”
Melody would like to thank the following donors who made Adopt-A-Cop possible:
- First Interstate Bank
- Wyoming Community Bank
- All-Star Glass
- Page’s Muffler Shop
- NAPA Auto Parts
- Frontier Ambulance
- VFW Auxiliary
- Christian Church of Riverton Riverton Women’s Fellowship
- The Wherehouse
- Twice But Nice Thrift Store
- Bobbie Dailey
Click here for more history about the Adopt-A-Cop program.