Early-morning shoppers in the vicinity of Walmart Tuesday morning may have noticed a large presence of law enforcement officers, but there was nothing amiss – in fact, Police Chief Marcus Barrow said it was a great day for Shop With A Cop And Friends.
There were plenty of uniformed officers on hand from Henderson Police Department, Vance County Sheriff’s Office, State Highway Patrol and other agencies to help children choose some toys, clothing items and more, Barrow told WIZS News Tuesday. One of the PD’s lieutenants shucked his uniform and put on a Grinch costume, he added.
“We shopped for 52 kids and nine elderly adults,” Barrow said. In addition to the generous fundraising efforts of the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce that netted about $15000, Barrow said some additional donations brought the grand total to just about $20,000.
City Manager Terrell Blackmon, District Attorney Mike Waters, Henderson Fire Chief Tim Twisdale and Battalion Chief Lee Edmonds were just a few of the local leaders who took part in the event.
Newly elected Henderson City Council member Sam Seifert said he helped a 5-year-old named Donna fill up a couple of carts.
“The toy section was a popular one today,” Seifert told WIZS News Tuesday. “We went there first – we had to dodge others on the aisle,” he said, but everyone was good-spirited about it.
“I pointed out things that she might be interested in,” he said. “We filled up two carts and (got) This was his first experience with Shop With A Cop, but he said he heard others remark that they were impressed with the turnout.
Barrow said it was important to add the two words “And Friends” to the “Shop With A Cop” moniker.
“We’ve always had more kids than the police department and sheriff’s office could handle,” he said. “We’ve always done the law enforcement side, and the fire department came along (over) the last couple of years.” Having representatives from the District Attorney’s office, state parks, Parks and Rec and Animal Services has strengthened the community support for the program.
Barrow recalled a special moment from the morning’s activities: “I talked to one of our brand new officers,” Barrow said. “This is his first experience” with Shop With A Cop. “I actually saw him tearing up a little bit.”
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