GR cops serve, protect and shop

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - They serve. They protect. They shop.

The annual Shop with a Hero event gave 10 students a $100 gift card to Meijer to spend in any way they chose. Their shopping partner was a Grand Rapids police officer.

The kids were chosen from several schools including East Leonard, Coit, Union and Creston High School.

It's a chance for the kids to fill their carts and get some presents they may not otherwise get. But one of the young boys spent his entire $100 on gifts for his family.

The officers said the light-hearted Christmas shopping could not have come at a better time.

"I thought this was really cool, especially with everything surrounding schools these days," GRPD Officer Neil Gomez told 24 Hour News 8. "It's a chance for them to escape that and maybe have some good Christmas cheer."

This is the first year these officers took part in the Shop with a Hero program and they said they'd love to make it an annual tradition.