More cops than kids showed up for the annual Shop with a Cop event to make sure children in need this holiday season stay warm and entertained.
It was still dark outside; 6:30 is mighty early for a Saturday. But inside the Meijer on State Road 135 in Greenwood, 46 kids, their parents and officers from law enforcement agencies in Johnson County and beyond piled into a warehouse in the back of the store to chow down on donuts, take pictures with Santa and share their wish lists with each other.
While other kids ran around, jumping on chairs and begging officers to pick them, two kids sat quietly at a table.
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Michael Cross of Franklin was more interested in getting his grandpa a gift than what he wanted for himself.
“A stuffed animal,” he said when asked what was on his Christmas list.
Ten seemed a little old for that, but it wasn’t for him. It was for his grandpa, whose appendix burst last week. The family was going to be spending Christmas in the hospital intensive care unit while grandpa undergoes surgery, said Shaunna Cross, Michael’s mom.
“They all keep talking about how they want to buy other people things because they’re not going to be able to spend it all," Shaunna Cross said.
Each kid got $250 to spend, money the Johnson County Fraternal Order of Police, an organization of about 120 Johnson County police officers and sheriff’s deputies, work all year to raise. Several local people and organizations donate every year, specifically for Shop with a Cop.
Also on Michael Cross’s list was board games, video games and a giant Nerf gun he could shoot his mom with, he said.
“Hey, that’s not nice,” she shot back.
He turned to her and smiled.
How about a dog?
“Meijer doesn’t haven’t dogs,” his mom said, laughing.
OK, then a fish.
“No fish either,” she said.
A little girl sat even quieter at the same table.
“She’s really shy, but I can’t go with her,” said Chasity McClure, her mom.
Dezirae McClure was hoping to shop with a female cop, so her mom went on the hunt for one. She asked a sheriff’s deputy if she’d be willing to partner up with her daughter. She did. But the 11-year-old was still nervous, looking back at her mom with a frown as she walked away from the table.
By the end of the shopping trip, the shyness had clearly faded.
“Makeup! Makeup!” Dezirae McClure and the deputy sang together as they danced their way to the cosmetics section.
She wasn’t the only officer having fun.
Once the shopping began, Sheriff Doug Cox was hurriedly following a young boy around the store with a cart; 20 minutes later, the kid was trying to keep up with the sheriff as he darted between clothes, down aisles and around displays.
Other officers showed kids the fun of hopping on the back of a cart, giving it a good push and seeing how fast they could go while the kids hung on for dear life, cackling at the top of their lungs.
Michael Cross was paired with Dustin Moody, a full-time deputy at Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis and a part-time deputy for the Henry County Sheriff’s Office. The Greenwood resident used to work at the Johnson County jail and still has contacts there. He heard the sheriff’s office needed more volunteers. He lives about 15 minutes away from the Meijer, so he decided to help out, he said.
Both a little shy, Cross and Moody made their way to the boys clothes slowly, snagging some pants, a couple hoodies, hats and gloves along the way.
Moody’s practical, so they couldn’t forget socks and underwear. Everyone could use more socks and underwear, he said.
Then it was time for the fun stuff — a one-year subscription to XBOX Live.
New headphones, a Bluetooth speaker, the Nerf gun and lots of Nerf darts.
“Mom’s going to hate us,” Moody said.
Moody took the day off to volunteer.
“I’d much rather be doing this,” he said.
“If you don’t want to help a little kid out to get clothes and gifts for Christmas, I don’t know why you’re doing this job.”
It’s all about building relationships, he said.
“I get so frustrated when I hear parents say, ‘You better be good or that cop is going to take you to jail.’ And that’s usually the only time they see us, when something bad is happening. But that’s not what we’re here for. We’re here to help them. I want them to see that,” Moody said.
They ended the trip in the fishing section where Moody helped Cross pick out new bait and gadgets that’ll help him get the big ones, such as blue gill and bass, he said.
Moody’s wife, who was helping them shop, showed Moody the balance — $6.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said to her. He was willing to pick up some of the tab if he needed to.
“Who do you usually go fishing with, buddy?” Moody asked.
“My grandpa,” Cross said.
