Kids Get To ‘Shop With A Hero’ With WPD
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews
WARSAW — Warsaw Police officers had a special assignment on Wednesday, Dec. 8: shopping.
Officers and their families reported for duty at the Warsaw Meijer store Wednesday to help some Warsaw Community Schools’ students pick out clothing and toys as part of the WPD’s annual “Shop With a Hero” event.
Kids also got to enjoy dinner at Burger King with their families and the officers.
“Shop With a Hero” started in 2013.
“It’s always kind of been a tradition,” said WPD Cpl. Roy Navarro, the event’s coordinator. “It lets our guys get a chance to mingle with a lot of the families in the community.”
Navarro said the event allows kids to get to know officers as well as pick out items for themselves.
“Well, of course, we want them to kind of get an opportunity to rub shoulders with our police officers, get to know us on a humanitarian side,” he said. “We want them to have fun,” he added.
Meijer donates funds to pay for the items the kids pick out, and Quality Dining, which runs the Warsaw Burger King, pays for the dinners.
WPD Capt. Joel Beam has participated in “Shop With a Hero” for years. He and his wife Shelby Beam actually shopped Wednesday with one of her students at Lincoln Elementary School, Dominic Helvie.
“I love giving back to the community,” he said. “It’s why I became a police officer; I like serving and especially with being able to give back to some of my wife’s students. It’s just awesome, especially since we can work together.”