SAN ANGELO, Texas — While the holiday season might be a joyful time for many, for some, it might come with the burden of extra financial struggles.
For the past 16 years, the San Angelo Police Officers Coalition has recognized the need to help children and their families around the holidays with the annual 'Shop with a Cop' program.
During this event, children are paired with a police officer as they walk throughout a retailer, cart (and plenty of toys) in hand.
"This has been a really hard year and we weren't sure we were gonna be able to do a lot for her for Christmas so this is a huge blessing," one parent, Tiffany, said of her daughter.
One afternoon, her daughter returned from school with a letter of selection into the program.
Tiffany was thankful not only for her daughter to be able to select presents, but also for the opportunity to bond with San Angelo police officers.
"I'm just excited for her to be able to be with law enforcement and understand they're here to protect us," she said.
In a similar fashion, Lieutenant Craig Thomason has been participating in the event for 15 or 16 years with one goal in mind: connecting with the community.
What makes him return each season?
"Just building that bond between us and the community so that these kiddos, when they do need us, aren't scared of us," Thomason said. "We don't want them to be scared of us 'cuz we're here to help them and hopefully this helps that."
As the event began, Thomason was one of many who walked with the children to pick out toys.
For the first time ever, members of the Texas Department of Public Safety were also in attendance while Goodfellow Air Force Base returned once again.
Another participant, Jessica, watched as her nephew threw a football with a State Trooper after filling up his shopping cart.
After receiving the letter from school, she decided to accept because "It was just a good experience for him. He doesn't have many male friends in his life so I knew it would be a good chance for him to be around some role models and he wants to be a police officer so he's excited about it," she said.
For Jessica, seeing her nephew smile made all the difference.
She expressed a sentiment echoed by many.
"It's just a blessing, it really is," she said. "How many people come out and volunteer for kids to be able to have Christmas, it kind of warms your heart."
Now despite financial struggles, some more of San Angelo's children can feel the weight of community support.
