PEKIN, Ill. — Pekin Police announce two dates for the annual Shop with a Hero event.
The events will at 12:30 p.m. Saturday Dec. 7 at Stock+Field, and Sunday Dec. 8 at Walmart.
Pekin Public Information Officer Billie Ingles said every year children who have been through a traumatic event, abuse, have parents who have lost their jobs, lost their homes due to a fire, or have fallen on hard time are nominated to participate in the event.
“In the kid’s eyes, we would like for them to look up to us and look at us in a different light then maybe what we had interacted with them,” Ingles said.
According to Ingles, first responders are not the only ones to submit names of children.
“We reach out to the schools. People call in from families who think the kid could benefit from this,” she said.
Many organizations such as the Pekin Police Officers Union, the Pekin Fire Department Union, Advanced Medical Transport, and other private organizations donate to make the event possible.
When the children are chosen, they are given a $100 gift card and a member from the police department, fire department, or AMT will join them for shopping. And, they do not always spend it on themselves.
“A lot of kids they might buy presents for maybe their parents or their siblings,” Ingles said. “After they are done shopping, they come back and we have a gift wrap station. We have volunteers there that help them wrap their presents and everything.”
Ingles said that if they want to, children can wrap their own presents to open up on Christmas day.
“Which a lot of kids choose not to do this because they want them now,” Ingles said. “But, if they want to they can. And they can also the presents for their family members who or else they chose to spend their gift card on.”
Santa comes in to visit the kids and a lunch is provided for them.
“It’s a good day, it really is. It’s a touching day,” Ingles said.
