By Tim Reaves
BCS Communications Department

The magic of the season sparkled as students walked through the aisles of the Walmart toy section on Friday. During the inaugural Shop with a Cop event, Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) deputies met 30 BCS students at the Walmart Supercenter on Bleachery Boulevard and bought gifts of each child’s choosing. Surrounded by the hustle and bustle of Christmas shoppers, deputies smiled as they grabbed out-of-reach toys and handed them down to the wide-eyed students.

“This is really cool,” said fourth-grader Cristina Granger. She bought a stuffed cat for herself and a stuffed unicorn for her sister. “My sister loves unicorns, so I wanted to get her this.”

She wasn’t alone. Most of the children only picked out one thing for themselves and spent the rest of their shopping time on their siblings and parents. 

“I think it’s amazing to see,” said School Resource Officer (SRO) Dep. Melanie “Mel” Robbins. “They’re not focusing on themselves. They’re thinking of others.”

She and other SROs planned the event out of their love of students and desire to be more present in the community. The result was Shop with a Cop, along with a celebration for families.

“We’re in it for the kids,” Dep. Robbins said. “So we started talking about what we could do to take the burden of Christmas off of families. The idea of Shop with a Cop came up, and we decided to take it a step further and include wrapping the presents and hosting a dinner for the families.”

The SROs raised funds for Shop with a Cop earlier this month at their Tip a Cop event at Texas Roadhouse. BCSO has been heavily involved in fundraisers and food drives this holiday season, hoping to spread some cheer for families across the county.

Thanks to everyone who donated time and money to help make this event a success!