The Warrenton Wal-Mart was crawling with police officers and other first responders on Dec. 14, they were there participating in Shop with a Cop, helping the children of families in need pick out Christmas presents for themselves and their family members. 

For Cortney Christensen, the Shop with a Cop event at Wal-Mart on Dec. 14 was “literally a blessing.” 

Her and her two daughters, Hunter, 9, and Savannah, 6, were able to spend $250 each on Christmas presents as they perused items in the store with Wright City R-II School Resource Officer Caitlin Holzum. 

The girls excitedly traveled through the aisles, grabbing barbie dolls, cooking toys and other items, but for Cortney, it carried a special significance. 

Her mother had recently passed from cancer, and she said the girls’ grandmother had always played a big role in Christmas, and without her the holiday would not be the same. 

She said their grandmother would always come with presents for the girls, and at least this year, with the help of Shop with a Cop that would continue. 

Like all of the other parents at the event, Cortney would also receive a $150 gift card to Wal-Mart to purchase food for a Christmas meal for her family. 

Holzum surprised her with the gift card while the girls were shopping in one of the toy aisles at the store, prompting Cortney to embrace her and thank her for the generosity. 

The Truesdale, Warrenton and Wright City Police Departments were able to raise over $20,000 to help families at the event, and by the end of the day, they had purchased presents for over 50 kids.

“It’s the biggest year we’ve ever had,” said Truesdale Police Officer and Rebecca Boone Elementary SRO Scott Taylor. “We’ve never had this many kids.”

Wright City Lieutenant Aaron Sutton echoed those sentiments saying “it went really smoothly, it was a really cool thing to watch.”

Officers also expressed their appreciation for Wal-Mart. The store closed off its lawn and garden section for the event and dedicated the register there to purchases for the kids. 

They also provided wrapping paper for all the presents and treats for the kids in attendance. 

There was also a strong cohort of volunteers at the event making sure things ran smoothly and helping the kids make their purchases.  

Holzum, who has been in law enforcement since 2016, said this was her seventh year participating in the event and she was actually involved in organizing it this year. 

“It’s actually the good part, shopping with them and just seeing the excitement is pretty much everything,” said Holzum. “This year was the first year that I was in charge of everything and making those phone calls and just hearing how it’s helping the families and them getting emotional was just what I needed to hear. It makes me want to get more money next year to help more families.”

She also noted the program is influential in helping kids be comfortable with first responders, so they have interactions with emergency personnel that do not take place at a time of crisis. 

“It actually helps with getting the kids comfortable with law enforcement and first responders,” said Holzum. “So that’s a really important piece, because there’s a lot of families out there that we have a negative connotation with, and they’re just terrified of us, so it helps bridge that gap.”

The Christensens were just one of dozens of families who were able to purchase presents that day and Holzum was overjoyed they were able to make a difference. 

“There’s a lot of families out there that don’t know where their next meal is going to come from, where heat sometimes is an obstacle, and getting help, it just gets into the security of having a present, and hope, and Christmas,” said Holzum.