Officers Coble, Reed and Hawks with Colin and Adiel. (Photo by Jarrett Van Meter)

Santa Claus, toys and cheeseburgers provided the framework for Thursday night’s second annual Shopping With Heroes event put on by the Warsaw Police Department. The event allowed for pre-selected children to eat supper at Burger King, ride in police cars and pick out toys for themselves at Meijer, all free of charge and in the company of officers.

After enjoying their burger, fries and milkshakes the children got a surprise visit from Santa, who posed for photos with each child before giving them a goodie bag with cards and … more ice cream. With their bellies full the children each hopped into one of the handful of police cars parked at the Burger King on Frontage Road, before caravanning over to Meijer. The kids then paired up with an officer and got down to business.

After the event’s initial success last year, Cpl. Doug Light decided to do it again this year, only this year dinner was burgers instead of pizza. “I got a call from the store manager at Burger King and who said they wanted to host” said Light. Light explained the importance of the event as he stated, “It’s just a great way for people to see us a little differently. We try to to do something positive for the kids, it is good for kids to see police officers out in a setting like this.” Several of the officers who attended last year returned this year due to their positive experience. Detective Jeff Ticknor offered, “I enjoyed doing it last year. The kids were pretty happy with everything that they got.”

The shopping started in the clothing section, much to the chagrin of the children, before eventually moving to the toy section. Nerf guns, battery powered animals and action figures were just a few of the selected items. Smiles were plentiful, and Light stated as everyone finally began filling into the check out lines, “That was awesome.”