Greater Sudbury Police Service treated 24 elementary school students to a shopping spree at Walmart at the ninth annual Shop with a Cop event on Thursday.
Police officers and the children were treated to breakfast at P&M's Kouzzina, then made their way to Walmart, where they purchased Christmas gifts for their families.
Police chief Paul Pedersen said the kids were mostly interested in purchasing gifts for their parents and siblings, even though they were allowed to spend some of the money on themselves. The initiative is all about building positive relationships through community engagement and collaborative partnerships.
“It's a great opportunity to interact with the kids, and to give them a Christmas they want,” Pedersen said, who was paired up with 10-year-old Dallas Byrnes for the shopping trip. “Dallas here is spending so much time focusing on what to give her brothers and sister.”
