Warsaw Police officers take a group photo at Meijer to kick off Shop with a Hero. InkFreeNews photo by Kory Stoneburner-Betts

WARSAW — The Warsaw Police Department connected with local children by hosting its seventh annual Shop with a Hero event, Wednesday night, Dec. 11.

This annual event assists children who need a little extra help during the holiday season. Each child is nominated by their school. The focus of the annual event said Officer Rogelio “Roy” Navarro, “is to improve the relationship between the youth and law enforcement.” Navarro also noted the importance of officers connecting with youth in the community and showing kindness during the holiday season.

Ten children, ranging in age from 4 to 12, met up with officers at the Warsaw Burger King, which provided free meals to officers, children and children’s’ families before shopping began.

After enjoying their meals, the children were loaded into police vehicles and taken to Meijer. Twelve officers were each assigned a child. Officers guided the children through the clothing section first to purchase clothing and other necessities. Children and Officers moved on to the toy section where each child was able to pick out a toy. All items selected by the children were donated by Meijer.