Nearly 50 kids go on shopping spree thanks to Santa Cop

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Every kid dreams of the mountain of toys they’ll wake up to on Christmas Day. But for some in our area, they’ll wake up to nothing at all.

Today officers with the Wilmington Police Department took nearly 50 underserved children on a shopping spree at the Walmart on Sigmon Road.

“Sometimes the officer are more excited than the children are,” Ofc. Ronald Evans said.

To start the morning, each officer was paired with a child. Then after enjoying breakfast and a visit with Santa Claus, it was time to shop.

“We got us some Nerf guns, 3D games, some gum, a plushy with a blanket and some bullets for a Nerf gun,” Adam Russell said as he checked out.

The children had $100 to spend on whatever their heart desired.

“Even when we are at that $100 limit some officers are like, ‘Well, I know this kid really wants this, or this kid really wants that, let me dig into my own pocket and pull out a few extra dollars to help them out,'” Evans said.

This is the 25th year the Wilmington Police Department has hosted Santa Cop. The funding for Santa Cop is provided through community donations and various events throughout the community.