The Fraternal Order of Police Warsaw Lodge 149 held its annual Christmas with a Cop at Meijer in Warsaw Thursday night.
During the annual event, the law enforcement agency helps provide Christmas presents to struggling families. “All of our fundraising goes toward this event,” said Warsaw Police Department Lt. Paul Heaton.
This year, families were recommended to the police by local schools. Nearly 100 kids participated in the event, according to Heaton.
Officers took the children around Meijer so they could help pick out toys and clothes for Christmas. Each child was given a $100 budget, spilt evenly between clothes and toys.
WPD Capt. Joel Beam said it means a lot to the officers to have chance to give back to the community.
“People usually meet us on their worst day. This is the exact opposite,” Beam said. He said it was good to involve the school this year since they can identify the children that need the most help.
All local law enforcement agencies were involved. “Some people just lost their job, or are just having a hard time, said Indiana State Trooper Andrew Cochran.
Pak-A-Sak/Marathon Food Marts of Warsaw provided a $1,110 donation to the police for the event. Class 22 of the Warsaw Citizens Police Academy also presented the FOP with a $500 donation for the event.
A similar tradition is taking place Monday, Dec. 19. The Warsaw Police Department is also holding their annual “Shop with Heroes” event with children aged 6-13 from Warsaw Community Schools.
“Shop with Heroes” is sponsored by the Warsaw Police Department and Quality Dining, Inc. A Burger King, owned and operated by QDI, is donating dinner to participating officers, 15-20 pre-selected child participants and their families.
Santa Claus joins the fun for photos after dinner. Then, officers will drive the children to Meijer for a holiday shopping trip, where the children buy Christmas presents for their families with a predetermined amount of money.
(Michael Anderson from the Times-Union also contributed to this story.)
