ABOVE: Officer Chad Sanow looks through a list of gifts with a child during the Fairmont Police Department’s Shop with a Cop event at Walmart on Sunday. Eleven officers and children participated in this year’s event.

FAIRMONT– The Fairmont Police Department made some local family’s holiday brighter during its annual Shop with a Cop event on Sunday. This year 11 children and their families benefitted from the generosity of the department and the broader community.

Shop with a Cop in its current structure dates back to about 2017. Police Chief Mike Hunter explained that the event looked a little different over the Covid years, but since last year officers have been physically shopping again with children at Walmart in Fairmont.

Each of the 11 children got $250 to spend while shopping with an officer and their parents also got a $100 gift card to use for groceries. The money was raised throughout the year through donations from individuals and businesses and Walmart pitched in a significant amount as well.

As far as selecting the children and families. Hunter said, “Officers are familiar with some families in need in our community and Sergeant (Jaime) Bleess was able to follow up and make contact with them so they could be part of Shop with a Cop this year.”

Bleess added that he keeps a running list of families with children between the ages of 9 and 12 who could benefit from everything the program offers.

The $250 isn’t just spent on toys for one child, but used to purchase a variety of items. Bleess said over the last few years they’ve seen more children picking out necessities like socks, coats and boots for their family members, which can add up quickly. He said as a result the department has tried to boost the amount it spends per family.

“Matching one kid with one cop kind of limits how many we can do in a year. This year we had 11 police officers sign up so there’s 11 kids in the program. Because the event can only be so big based on so many officers, with the support from the community it helps us get a healthier amount for the kids,” Bleess said.

Because of that, children are able to get toys for younger siblings and some items for their parents, along with some of the necessities.

For their part, Walmart employee Schaun said, “Walmart wants to give back to the community as much as it can and building relationships is important to not just the company but to us as a local store as well.”

Emily at Walmart added that Walmart has a Spark Good program that any non-profit can set up an account on. Individual stores then decide how to divvy out funds to local causes.

“We encourage non-profits to get an account set up,” Emily said.

She said the associates enjoy helping out at various events such as Shop with a Cop. The department members enjoy it, too. This year in addition to the 11 officers, Chief Hunter and Captain Eric Tonder were present, as well as some of the officer’s family members who helped shop and also helped wrap up the gifts afterward.

“Every year we see the need that’s there and every year we do this we build relationships with these families,” Bleess said. “They see us as people who see a need, not just as cops who are there for a call.”

He said the event also serves as an opportunity for the cops to bond with the children, many of whom Bleess said ask to be in the program and some who have even shared that they have a desire to be a cop when they grow up.

“There’s a few of these kids that could be future cops some day,” Bleess said.