The Woodstock Public Safety Foundation recently held its annual Shop with a Hero event, buying Christmas presents for around 125 children from Woodstock.
The foundation spent about $13,000 for Christmas presents, and the shopping was done by Woodstock police and fire personnel.
This year assistance also was given by Cherokee County E-9-1-1 and Woodstock High School’s Law and Justice students and Spanish Honor Society.
Shop with a Hero program is an annual event where Woodstock police officers and firefighters volunteer to accompany children on a shopping trip for Christmas presents.
Each December, Walmart, 12182 Highway 92, Woodstock, hosts this program that started when a family in Woodstock wanted to donate money to the police department to help make a difference in the community, according to a foundation statement.
At the same time, former Officer Richie Rich learned of a local boy whose house was destroyed by fire.
Rich used the donated funds to take the boy Christmas shopping, but he only wanted to buy a jacket for each person in his family instead of toys for himself.
When other officers and firefighters learned of the boy’s desire to provide jackets for his family, officers and firefighters put their money together to take the boy shopping for Christmas presents and toys.
Since then, the Shop with a Hero Program has served more than 1,700 children and continues to grow every year.
Information: woodstockga.gov/psfoundation, facebook.com/woodstockpsf
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