Alaska State Troopers and other first responders help Valley families shop for Christmas gifts at Wasilla Walmart

WASILLA — Alaska State Troopers, Chaplains, police officers, firefighters, Emergency Medical Service, dispatchers and other first responders helped 27 disadvantaged Valley children pick out gifs for themselves and their families at Wasilla Walmart through the annual Shop with a Cop program.

“Due to the virus, it’s been a very challenging year… We’re just trying to bring joy to the kids’ faces,” AST Southcentral Alaska Captain Tony April said. “We’re first responders. But also, we’re their neighbors.”

First responders from across the board walked through Wasilla Walmart with local children to help them pick out items. Participating agencies include the Wasilla Police Department, Palmer Police Department, Anchorage Police Department, Mat-Su EMS, Central Mat-Su Fire Department, Palmer Judicial Services, DPS recruitments, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, and Alaska Police and Fire Chaplains.

“We’ve got people all across the state that are working to give back to their community the best that they can,” AST public information officer Austin McDaniel said.

According to April, Troopers collaborated with various local agencies to identify families in need for the Shop with a Cop program. He said each family is allotted a gift budget and the kids are given the chance to shop from station to station with designated items inside the store. He noted that each family also receives a food box.

“You just never know what a family could be going through,” April said.

Local law enforcement and other agencies have participated in the Shop with a Cop program in Anchorage for the last 21 years, according to Alaska Police and Fire Chaplains Chief Chaplain and Executive Director Diane Peterson.

“It’s our favorite event,” Peterson said.

Anchorage’s Shop with a Cop event was held at the Midtown Walmart. Peterson said Anchorage’s Shop with a Cop is now done in the name of Anchorage officer Lisa Whitmore who died of cancer. She credited Whitmore for spearheading the program and helping it grow to its current state.

“Out of that, that’s where the rest of this has expanded,” Peterson said.

Peterson said that she’s been involved for the last 17 years and this is the first time they’ve held it in the Valley, noting that they hope to serve twice as many families next year.

“We can lighten the load for some of these families that wouldn’t even have a Christmas,” Peterson said.

Peterson said that Wasilla Walmart sponsored the Valley Shop with a Cop event and committed to funding the endeavor each year. She said a majority of the participating children are struggling through hardships such as homelessness or foster care.

“We just show up and shop with the kids,” Peterson said. “They come in and they don’t buy anything for themselves. They’re buying for their siblings or their parents, or those who yesterday wanted food or those that are just buying blankets because they’re cold at home…

Central Mat-Su FD Battalion Chief Michael Warzewick said the Shop with a Cop event at Wasilla Walmart was a bright display of community engagement. He said that his favorite part of the holiday season is the fact that people are “more apt to be kind and more forgiving” during this time of year.

“Making it easier on the family makes a huge difference in the community,” Warzewick said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com