Shop With A Hero Brings Christmas To More Than 40 Children

Christmas came a few weeks early for more than 40 children as the Holly Springs Police Department hosted its annual Shop with a Hero event.

The annual initiative, held in conjunction with the Friends of Holly Springs Police Foundation, was held at Walmart on Holly Springs Parkway, and benefited over 40 children and 28 families, the police department said.

More than 25 volunteers from the community and the Foundation joined in to assist 11 Holly Springs police officers as they accompanied children and families on Christmas shopping sprees made possible by the donations of local businesses, families, police officers and city employees and the Foundation.

Children were paired with a police officer who was designated as a shopping partner. Each participating child received a spending limit to be used on Christmas presents.

The first stop for children and their officer was to see none other than old St. Nick himself. Following a personal conversation with Santa, the shoppers moved into the vast Walmart wilderness in search of treasures.

While the children were encouraged to buy something special for themselves, many used a portion of their funds on gifts for parents and siblings. Often thinking that officers would provide encouragement, it was usually the other way around.

“The children became the teachers today,” said Sgt. Casey Barton. “The lesson was ours to learn.”

As events began to unfold, it became apparent to everyone involved that something very special was starting to develop. Soon Walmart employees and members of the public began to notice that this was more than a typical event to help others during the holidays.

Many good people approached and made spontaneous donations while other joined the Stuff a Truck team by placing toys in the Holly Springs Police Department Humvee parked in the store lot.

Those toys will be delivered to others before Christmas.

Once the shopping spree was complete, checkout was a breeze, thanks to Walmart employees who opened a special lane for the kids and volunteers who made certain that each gift was wrapped for the big day.

Children beamed with excitement, parents cried “and all of us were reminded that helping others is the greatest part of pinning on a badge,” Holly Springs police said.

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Images via Holly Springs Police Department’s Facebook page