When 24 local children escorted by law enforcement arrived outside of Walmart, everybody involved was smiling.

The crowd was gathered at the local store for the 11th annual Shop with a Cop, an interagency effort where local law enforcement is paired with children from their area and accompanied by Walmart employees. Each child had a budget of $200-$330, depending on number of siblings, to fulfill their Christmas shopping list. They also received a free bag of their favorite cereal courtesy of Walmart and a $50 grocery card to Albertsons or Red Apple as part of the First Lady’s Hunger Initiative. 

A total of $5,123 was donated to make the event possible with donors including Walmart, Cody Seamless Siding, AC Millworks, City of Cody Electric Crew, Walleyes Unlimited Foundation of MT-Big Horn Basin Chapter, Papa Murphy’s, Wyoming Highway Patrol Association Donation, Cody Coffee Roaster, Old Trail Town and other anonymous donors.

Rodney Miears of the Wyoming Highway Patrol, who helped organize the event, said WHP Lt. Lee Pence and Cody Police Department administrator Aimee Childress “were critical to the success of the SWAC program running smoothly.” They helped officers get assigned, labeled envelopes and obtained volunteers to assist with wrapping through Bright Futures, an after-school mentorship program for Cody students.

Powell resident Cervando Vega was one of the children who had the opportunity to go on a big shopping trip. He was keen on getting a Cirkul water bottle along with some flavors to infuse — prior to that he found a nice box of baseball cards for one of his friends. What else could he get if he put back his large Nerf rifle/revolver, he wondered out loud. 

Elsewhere in the store, Riley Gilmore rode in a shopping cart full of pink toys and a plush pink child lounger while Park Ranger John Rhodes diligently pushed her from aisle to aisle. Nearby Powell Police Department Lt. Matt McCaslin got down on his knees to help the child he was shopping with find just the right Furby — they decided on two. 

Adrien Valmaceda ended the night of shopping with a carefully curated cart. His favorite new item was, of course, his skateboard, but he also bought a new toolbox for his dad who works on garage doors. He needs somewhere to keep batteries, Valmaceda said. 

In the past kids have shopped for themselves, but they’ve also shopped for grandparents and other family members and have used their Christmas budget to purchase toothpaste, shoes and even shampoo for mom, Miears said. 

“For me personally, I love to see an opportunity for children to have something they may not have the opportunity to get,” said John Dickson, manager of the Cody Walmart.

He added that it's a great community event that showcases “how much the officers of every community really care about the people in the community.”