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By Ayanna Eckblad

The holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year. On Tuesday evening, Walmart was full of shoppers looking for the perfect gift for their loved ones. In the middle of all of the other shoppers were some young ones accompanied by law enforcement officers with the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office or Albert Lea Police Department.

Shop With A Cop is a program funded mainly by a Walmart grant program and sometimes private donations that helps kids during the holiday season who may not have the resources to get presents for the people in their family.

The process for this year’s event began as social workers from local schools in the area identified children who were in need. Walmart then donated money to the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office. The officers bought Walmart gift cards and then spent the evening with children as they shopped for their family members and maybe even got something for themselves.

“Sometimes we even get stocking stuffers,” said Albert Lea Reserve Officer Roque Medrano, who has participated in the program for two years.

After purchasing the items using the donated gift cards, the officers and children went to the garden center of the store, which had been set aside for the program. A group of office support staff as well as spouses of the officers and deputies wrapped the presents. While they waited, the children could snack on holiday treats provided by Walmart.

“It’s a great outreach for us to be involved in the lives of kids,” said Ryan Shea, Freeborn County sheriff. “[The kids] need a little pick-me-up around the holiday season.”

The number of children who participate varies from year to year, usually averaging around 20 to 30. This year, the program had 25 children.

For Shea, the most rewarding part of Shop With A Cop is seeing the excitement of the kids. “They are able to go and buy something for someone and so they get to have the joy of giving rather than receiving, so it’s really neat to see the kids excited about buying presents for other people,” he said.