92 kids join St. Pete police for 'Shop with a Cop'

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - This year, the holidays will be a little brighter for 92 children in St. Pete thanks to St. Pete Police's annual 'Shop with a Cop' event held Friday night at a Walmart in South Pete.

For 6-year-old, Ireland, this Christmas is going to be extra special.

"It feels great. I'm so excited," mom Janicia White said. "It's so awesome. I didn't even know. I didn't even expect it."

She and her two siblings are three of 92 children getting the chance to 'Shop with a Cop".

"It's actually hard not to smile when we talk about it. It's amazing," Sgt. Thomas Qualey with SPPD said. "It's extremely impactful for these families and really what this is all about is seeing the kids smile and have fun."

Officers from St. Pete Police were paired with children from a local community center who were all nominated based on their needs. Each child got a $100 gift card to spend at Walmart.

"You can't resist a child whenever they truly smile, and they light up, and it's the one time of the year," Walmart Digital Coach Michelle Hassel said. "It's just pure, and it's exciting, and they get that toy maybe that they've been waiting on all year long for."

Since 2017, St. Pete Police's 'Shop with a Cop' event has been made possible thanks to the Aresty Family Foundation.

"I'm very excited. It's the first time doing this. I've heard amazing things. So I'm just excited to see the kids and their reactions," St. Pete Police Officer Melissa Laricci said.

For many officers, 'Shop with a Cop' is not only a way to make a child's Christmas memorable, but it's also an opportunity for officers to foster positive interactions with kids in the community.

"Last year, multiple families that I had met for the first time here at the program I had run into just through community service work, working at recreation centers or just programs throughout the community where the kids come up to remember me," Qualey said.

It's that kind of interaction that mom Janicia White says is so meaningful.

"To see them come out here and be like, no, we're good, we help you, we're here for you and we give back. Be good to us. We be good to you. Be good members of society and that's all we ask. I love that," White said.