Yelm Walmart was filled with Christmas spirit as 40 children from Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County and Family Support Center joined Yelm Police Department officers and Thurston County deputies for the Shop With A Cop event Thursday, Dec. 19.
The shoppers had the opportunity to ride along with a law enforcement officer for a lights and sirens escort to Walmart, where each child got to pick a deputy or officer to help them purchase $200 worth of gifts for them and their family.
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office raised more than $7,000 this year with the Fire and Ice Basketball fundraiser game, along with donations from Walmart, Kaufman Construction & Development Inc., Spin Tees and private citizens. Once the gifts were purchased, shoppers and cops trekked to the Yelm Community Center, where they wrapped their gifts and enjoyed pizza and cupcakes.
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders heard the phrase “this is the best day of my life” from a shopper to their deputy for the second year in a row.