Officer Michael Burleson of the Spruce Pine Police Department helps his shopper pick out the best- looking jacket during the 2021 edition of Shop With a Cop. (MNJ file photo/Cory Spiers)
The Christmas season will get brighter for area kids on Wednesday, Dec. 7 during the annual Shop With a Cop event.
Shop With a Cop is an annual event that makes sure all kids get a memorable Christmas.
Kids are paired with volunteers or law enforcement officials and take a trip around Walmart, gathering things they need and want.
Kids start by getting things they need like winter jackets, hats, shirts and socks.
Then comes the fun when they get to select toys and games using the remainder of their allowance.
Shop With a Cop requires about $220 per child. Last year’s event served 54 kids with another group of kids getting a gift card in lieu of the shopping trip.
The 2021 event was fueled by more than $12,000 in donations.
During Shop With a Cop, kids take their stroll around Walmart with officers from the Spruce Pine Police Department, Bakersville Police Department, Mitchell County Sheriff’s Department, North Carolina Highway Patrol and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Volunteers also help kids select gifts.
Some kids use part of their allowance to get gifts for their parents or siblings.
“You can tell it is heartfelt when they do that,” said Mitchell County Sheriff Donald Street.
Even after Shop With a Cop ends this year, there will still be a need for funding. Street said that every bit helps.
“Christmas is such a special time for kids,” he said. “The money doesn’t end that day. After the event, we are still getting gifts and taking them to kids that are in need who didn’t make the shopping day. We also use the money to fill the food pantry at the Senior Center.”
To donate to Shop With a Cop, mail or bring money to the Sheriff’s Office at 63 Crimson Laurel Circle, Bakersville.
“It is a blessing to see the smiling faces of these kids when we meet them,” Street said. “I want to thank the community for entrusting us with this money to spend. This may be all some of these kids get.”