Garrett Loerenza, 11, scuffled through the aisles of the Walmart with his assigned police officer, occasionally stopping to place an item in his cart. Loerenza, a Munith resident, sported a toothy grin as he pointed out the presents piled in his shopping cart: a Yankee Candle, a Barbie Doll, a stuffed animal — not typical things this camouflage-clad 11-year-old would pick for himself.

“None of these are for me,” Loerenza said. “These are for my sisters. I get enough presents on Christmas, so I didn’t want to make this about me. I think my sisters will be happy when they see what I got them.”

Shop with a Cop aims to foster good relationships with children who might have a bad impression of police through their family circumstances, said East Lansing Detective Candace Ivey. Through the event, these children, who normally might not have many Christmas presents, are able to pick out items for themselves and family all while building relationships with police.

“This is a really good event to have to have the children come together with the police officers and see them in a good light and know that we are here to help them and not always there to take the bad guy to jail,” Ivey said.

Shop with a Cop pairs 100 children with 100 law enforcement officials and gives them $100 to spend on toys, clothes and other items. Once the child and officer finish shopping, volunteers wrap the presents as the pair get their picture taken with Santa.

Criminal justice junior Eric Horwood volunteered along with MSU’s State of Fifths acapella group to seranade shoppers and the children who get their picture taken. Horwood’s father was a police officer participating in Shop with a Cop.

“I’m going into law enforcement, and I think this is a unique opportunity for police to show what they can do for the community,” Horwood said.

In the back of the Walmart yard and garden section, bundled up in the cold, Tootsie Panayotou makes sure all things run smoothly with the other civilian volunteers. Panayotou, one of five volunteer directors, said that the Shop with a Cop event holds a special place in her heart because of the impact it has on the children involved.

“At the beginning of the day the children are apprehensive being with the officers, but throughout the day you can see them hugging the officers,” Panayotou said. “One of the impacts of the program that we hadn’t quite anticipated was that the children feel more comfortable with the police and will call if there is trouble — if some one is being hurt in their home, they have the officer’s card and will call.”

Panayotou is involved in the fundraising for the event and helps to recruit the 50 or more volunteers needed each year. Panayotou said that each year she sees the children who get presents, she “cries every time” because of how happy she is.

Along with Panayotou, Ivey said that the Shop with a Cop event could not be possible without the donations and support given by members of the community.

“Our fundraising is all just community businesses and members that hear about it,” Ivey said. “We get checks through the mail and people drop money off at the police department. People can contact any law enforcement agency in Ingham county and ask how to get involved.”