Santa and the Grinch were in the building as Hempstead County Sheriff's deputies,other first responders and Walmart Associates hosted Shop with a Cop at the Hope Walmart Saturday morning.

Starting at 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning, during the Shop with a Cop event, about 51 kids from lower income households got a free Walmart shopping spree thanks to the officers of the Hempstead County Sheriff’s Office, firefighters, first responders for Pafford Emergency Services, and several sponsors including Walmart and other local businesses.

Santa Claus and the Grinch arrived first at the store’s garden center, having been escorted up North Hervey with sirens and lights on by police and fire departments. Several children of families who would soon be shopping rode along in the police vehicles.

When they all arrived, Sheriff James Singleton told the families to line up to receive envelopes of cash to use to pay for the spree. Each family was accompanied by a deputy. officer, a first-responder or a Walmart associate. Once they bought their items, they could have them professionally wrapped for free.

Helping to set up and organize the event was Walmart Store Manager Kacey Barrington, in her fourth year of involvement with Shop with a Cop. “It feels very good to be able to give back to the community,” she said. “We give a grant to help with it, and then we work with the sheriff’s department to get prepared for it probably months in advance.”

While the shopping was going on, none other than Hempstead County Sheriff James Singleton helped watch over several kids as they enjoyed free donuts and milk, chased the Grinch and talked to Santa. “We look forward to this every year,” he said. “It’s very heartwarming to see the kids when they see Santa. We actually apprehended the Grinch this morning, put him in the back of the truck and brought him along so he wouldn’t still anything while we were doing this. Maybe we could convert him.”

Singleton said he was thankful to Walmart and to all the donors who helped make it possible. The sheriff’s department adds to the proceeds by selling ads in its day planner. “No taxpayer money was used," he added. “But if it weren’t for the people in the community we wouldn’t be able to do it.”

Jessie Henry, Hempstead County Justice of the Peace and Principal Officer of Brotherhood of Fulton, was on hand at Walmart, too. “This is great that the sheriff and the community is able to do this for the kids. We try to do it every year. It’s a blessing that the kids are able to do this, so that some who weren’t able to have Christmas could have Christmas.”

Sergeant Michael Braddock, a sheriff’s deputy who helped lead one family’s shopping trip said, “It’s great, awesome, an honor … It makes for a good day for sure.”

At 6:00 p.m. the Sheriff, several deputies, firefighters and Pafford EMS responders brought presents and food to the Bingen Fire Department as part of the Hempstead County Sheriff’s Office Operation Christmas. “We try to cover the whole county,” Singleton said. “The kids in the north part of the county, some of those are not able to come down. So what we did, we got the names from the teachers. We’ve already bought Christmas for them.”

Presents were brought for 30 kids in the area from lower income households, though not all of them attended the Christmas party at the Fire Department because of wet weather that prevailed in the area nearly all Saturday.  (Singleton said he would see that children not able to come would receive their presents.) But those who came received their presents from Santa himself, and could enjoy a meal of ham and cheese sliders, chips and cookies with their families, served by enrollees in the RSAT (Residential Substance Abuse Treatment) program performing required community service.

At Bingen Singleton said “It’s nice for [the kids] to see law enforcement this way. Most of the time for these kids any time law enforcement shows up, it’s bad. This is our chance to let them see the good side of it.”