After a three-year hiatus, officers from the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, Batchewana First Nation Police Service, and Correctional Services paired up with 21 kids for the Cops and Kids shopping event at Walmart.
Now in its 15th year, children between the ages of 5 and 13 were each given a $100 limit to go shopping for toys and items they wished to purchase.
The limit wasn’t exactly concrete, however, as many of the officers would often go into their own pockets to cover any extra spending.
While the toy aisles appeared to be one of the busier spots Saturday morning, Const. Josh Teresinski says many of the kids weren’t just shopping for themselves.
“A lot of the kids bought gifts for their family and didn’t buy gifts for themselves,” he says. “Once we found that out, we sent them back to the toy section to make sure they got something for themselves.”
“It’s awesome,” he adds. “It’s amazing to have it back up. The kids looked so happy.”
Once they were finished shopping, the kids enjoyed some pancakes and wrapped up their special gifts with the help of the officers.
“Next year we hope to get more kids,” Teresinski says. “We’ll make sure it’s even bigger and better.”
