Of all the warm and fuzzy feel-good events crowding this month’s calendar, one of the most heartwarming is the annual Shop with a Cop, the largest of which takes place at the Sebastian Walmart.
Anyone driving by the U.S. 1 Walmart last Friday evening would be forgiven for thinking some sort of major bust was going down. Parked along the length of the building were about two dozen cop cars, red and blue lights flashing, along with dozens of uniformed law enforcement officers milling about.
But a closer inspection revealed Santa Claus happily greeting customers, and Sebastian’s own Mr. Christmas, Bruce Zingman, sporting his traditional Big Red Hat, ringing the Salvation Army Bell. Everyone was awaiting the arrival of a busload of excited kids, who would soon be paired off with a member of law enforcement for a Christmas shopping spree.
Shop with a Cop takes place in two rounds, one for North County and one for South County, with children chosen through the schools or through applications. Officers from the Sebastian, Fellsmere and Vero Beach Police Departments, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, the Highway Patrol and Florida Fish and Wildlife volunteer every year and are often as excited as the children.
Fellsmere Police Chief Keith Touchberry; Sheriff’s Lt. Darin Jones; Sheriff’s Sgt. Joe Abollo; and Deputies Wolfgang Weber and Ciro Perrone agreed the event was one they always look forward to. Frequently, when the kids’ gifts exceed the official $100 limit, the cops happily dip into their own pockets, in the true spirit of the season.
“The Sebastian Police Department helps us throughout the year, and I’m glad they allow us to be a part of this,” said Mark Roger, store manager of Walmart which has welcomed Shop with a Cop for eight years. “This is a great community effort, which helps kids see the police as positive, not negative.”
Everything was certainly positive inside the store, as festively dressed employees applauded and greeted the kid/cop teams. The Eden family provided terrific vocal and instrumental Christmas music all evening, as eager boys and girls and their designated buddies roamed the aisles, boisterously choosing gifts for moms, dads, siblings and lastly, themselves.
Deputy Tommy Harrington laughed as sisters Jessia, Cassidy and Layla diligently filled their cart, making sure each family member was accounted for. Large carrot-nosed Olaf, the loveable snowman from Frozen, was the go-to toy for sure, popping up in several carts en route to the check-out.
Sheriff’s Deputy Mark Buffington, who has volunteered for several years, pushed the cart as sisters Summer, Desiree and Krissa discussed and decided they wouldn’t include “the baby” this year since she was still “in Mommy’s tummy.”
“The kids get to see us in a different light, and we see them in a different light as well,” said Buffington. As he headed for the check-out with a filled-to-the-top cart, he added with a grin, “Let’s go break the bank.”
Sebastian Det. Pete Miller, TJ Irwin and Tim Wood also enjoyed following their young charges up and down the toy department aisles. “This is so much fun every year – just to see those smiles,” said Miller.
Highway Patrol Troopers Shawn Crabtree and Ronald Weber stood by watching the organized confusion. “This is our first year. It’s great. There were so many volunteers,” Crabtree laughed, “they ran out of kids!”
