For the fourth year in a row, the Blaine Police Department teamed with Blaine SuperTarget to make the holiday season extra special for some local children. Formerly known as Shop with a Cop this year’s program has been renamed Hero’s and Helpers, and includes members of the Spring Lake Park, Blaine, Moundsview Fire Department.

With the help of school social workers, the Blaine Police Department identified children from six local elementary schools who needed an extra special holiday season. Target, with the help of many of their employees, then put together a special holiday shopping event for each these children.

To make the day special, Blaine Police Officers, Explorers, Community Service Officers Police Reserves, and members of the SBM Fire Department, all wearing Santa hats, picked up the children at school prior to their shopping spree. Once they arrived at SuperTarget, children received a donated gift card to complete holiday shopping for their family members.

Donations from Target, Blaine city employees, the Blaine Police Federation, SBM Fire, and a private Blaine citizen, were used to fund the donated gift cards. Funds were also set aside for non-gift necessities such as food, underwear, socks, boots, and mittens.

The children, many with shopping lists in hand, were paired with police and fire helpers to guide them throughout the store. They were also treated to a meal at Target’s Food Avenue. After loading their carts and purchasing the presents, cops, firefighters, and kids gathered with Target employees to wrap the gifts.

At the end of the day, Police Officers, and Fire Fighters returned the children home with bags of presents to share with their families so they could help spread the holiday cheer at home this season.