Play ‘Singo Bingo’ to benefit holiday ‘Shop with a Cop’
BY SAM VISE | FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — This July, Whistle Stop Bottle and Brew is adding holiday cheer to its charity bingo nights, which are held each Wednesday at 7 p.m. at 830 N. Railroad Ave. in Opelika.
Whistle Stop is celebrating Christmas in July all month long with Singo Bingo benefiting the Shop with a Cop program, an initiative run by the Opelika Police Department. Funds generated through Singo Bingo will support the police department’s efforts to provide Christmas presents for children in need.
While the program itself will not take place until December, Whistle Stop is teaming up with OPD to raise awareness now so that people can begin donating.
“We want to do this as a way to give back to the kids in Opelika City Schools,” said Allison Duke, community relations administrator for OPD. “This will be our third year now, and I want to say we started with 30 kids. Last year, we got up to 60 kids that are between the grades of third and 11th grade within Opelika City Schools.”
Each child receives $200 to spend at Target, with a suggestion to allocate $100 for family gifts and $100 for themselves. Duke said that more importantly, they get to spend one-on-one time shopping with a police officer or a department volunteer.
“It’s a great opportunity for some of the wives of officers to get involved and come and help,” Duke said. “It’s a great community event. People that don’t really know how to give or where to give around the holidays, or you know, maybe you’re just unsure of what to do, it’s a great opportunity for people to come and give back around the holidays.”
Whistle Stop has been a long-standing partner in community charity. Owners Scott and Julie Brown have been doing charity bingo nights for years. The partnership with the Shop with a Cop program specifically started last year.
“We have been doing charity bingos probably since 2020 or 2021,” Scott said. “Almost every Wednesday night, whether a Singo Bingo or a regular classic bingo, we’re playing bingo, and each month is a different charity.”
Unlike traditional bingo, Singo Bingo uses popular music instead of numbers. Players have a QR code on their card that they scan with their phone. If they call “bingo” correctly, the app confirms it; if not, it signals an incorrect response.
The first round is for any straight-line bingo, the second requires two lines and the final round is a blackout, all played using the same card. Scott said that Singo Bingo goes quicker than regular bingo.
He explained that at charity bingo nights, the first bingo card is free, and any additional cards can be bought for $1. They also sell raffle tickets for $1 where patrons can win prizes, and the money raised is donated to their charity of the month. Scott said that last year, the community helped raise $1,000 for OPD.
“We don’t really want to take credit for it because all this money comes from all the people in the community that come to play. We have people that come every week of every month,” Julie said. “The other nice thing about all the charities of the month and bingo is that it puts a spotlight on these community areas so that then in December, we will make a post to remind people that it’s now time for the kids to be going shopping. So, if you are still interested and want to donate more, you can contact them. We try to keep it relevant throughout the year.”
The grand prize for winning Singo Bingo is choosing one of the original, hand-painted signs hanging in the brewery, featuring unique beer can art by Julie. The brewery also seeks community support for prizes, welcoming donations of gift cards or small items from local businesses.
Julie said that many families come to the brewery for Singo Bingo, and she has a box of kid-friendly prizes as well. She emphasized that the Shop with a Cop program intentionally works to reshape perceptions of police interactions, offering positive encounters where uniformed officers deliver gifts directly to homes.
For this month’s Singo Bingo, different officers at OPD have curated playlists for each Wednesday night. The series began on July 2 with “Best of Hip Hop” featuring Officer Trez Hunter and will continue July 9 with “Clubbin in the 90’s” hosted by Officer T. Paulk. Then “Country Bar” with Officer David Smith on July 16, “Best of Country” with Officer Collin Poss July 23 and “Modern Rock” with Sergeant Jonathon Glover July 30.
The Shop with a Cop program ensures that support reaches those who need it most. Duke and her team at OPD work with Opelika City Schools to identify children who would benefit from the program.
“We work with the school system,” Duke said. “A lot of programs around here accept nominations and things like that, and we do get people that reach out, but typically if they reach out, we check on the back end with the school. So, we send out the forms to all the teachers, the counselors, the principals — everybody within the school system, because they know the needs. We specifically go in and ask them why they feel like this child needs to be nominated.”
The program prioritizes the children’s experience and privacy.
“We try to make it about the kids, but we don’t want to make them feel like they’re in the spotlight,” Duke said.
She described the Shop with a Cop shopping day as “one of her favorite days of the year.” She said the children receive an escort to Target, making them “feel like VIPs,” and are met with a red-carpet experience. The program’s impact extends far beyond the shopping trip.
Duke shared stories of children spending their remaining funds on gifts for teachers or other kids, highlighting the spirit of giving. Even if a child can’t attend, Duke said efforts are made to ensure they still receive gifts, as demonstrated by an officer delivering presents to a sick child one year or another instance where a mother was FaceTimed throughout the shopping trip.
“It’s a way for them to have a little something, or even if it’s just the clothing and things like that, coats and stuff like that,” Duke said. “The kids learn a little bit about money management, too.”
For the brewery owners, the events serve a larger purpose of bringing awareness.
“A lot of people, myself included, would not be that aware,” Scott said. “Everybody lives in their own little world and worries about their own little thing. That’s what we get just from doing all these charity bingos each month. It’s a different charity that gets a focus put on it. So, I think out of this, the whole goal is just to get awareness.”
Julie echoed this, saying that Whistle Stop serves as a convenient “drop zone” for donations beyond just monetary contributions, like a children’s coat drive, making it easier for community members to give back.
The Christmas in July timing is strategic because when December comes, it is too late for OPD to collect the money.
By collecting funds now, the police department knows at the end of July how much they will have for the holidays, allowing them to plan for the target of 60 children. Duke confirmed that early donations are already coming in, highlighting the community’s positive response to the program.
“Christmas in July is great for us because this is kind of our kickoff for Shop with a Cop,” Duke said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to engage with the community, but also spread awareness for a great cause, and be able to come out and support other organizations too when it’s their month.”
The brewery plans to continue alternating between Singo Bingo and classic bingo nights in months outside of their dedicated Christmas in July focus, ensuring diverse entertainment for their patrons.
To learn more about donating to the Shop with a Cop initiative, email Allison Duke at aduke@opelika-al.gov or call her at (334) 705-5213. To learn more about Whistle Stop Bottle and Brew and its charity bingo nights, email Scott at whistlestopbrewshop@gmail.com.
