BROOKINGS – If you happen to stop at Walmart the night of Dec. 13, don’t worry when you see a line of law enforcement vehicles; what you’re seeing is law enforcement gathering to help kids from across the county in need of a little extra Christmas cheer.

Christmas, Kids and Cops is an annual event that pairs up disadvantaged kids with a law enforcement officer for a night of gift shopping at Walmart.

Last year, the program served 28 children, giving them $250 each. Officer Joe Fishbaugher and Sgt. Jon Pike are hoping to help another two children this year, bringing up the total to 30 children.

“That sounds like a lot, but when you get down there shopping with those students, they’re buying for their whole family. Most of these kids aren’t just buying for themselves. They’re buying for their brothers or sisters. A lot of them buy clothes; a lot of them don’t have winter clothes or stuff like that,” Pike said.

It’s this thoughtfulness that always sticks with the officers.

“I’ve had kids actually ask me, ‘Can I buy something for myself?’ Yeah, if you want to! That’s how these kids are,” Fishbaugher said.

“These are nice kids, innocent kids in a bad situation. We’re trying to make their Christmas good for them,” Pike added.

They’ll select the students from across the schools in Brookings County. Eighteen of the students will come from the Brookings School District, and the remaining 12 will be evenly split from Elkton, Deubrook and Sioux Valley school districts.

The schools’ principals and counselors help the officers make the selection each year, with the goal of helping different families each year.

“Those kids are so excited and so happy when we tell them about this. Most of these families don’t have much to begin with,” Pike said.

Besides the $250 allotted for each child, funds are also needed for the gift cards and the food baskets they all receive, which are assembled by Sandy McClemans and other volunteers, making financial donations a key part of the program’s ongoing success.

With their planned increase in children served through this program comes a greater need for private donations.

“Brookings is a really great community. They really show a lot of support for this program,” Pike said, noting that he’s received a donation from a former Brookings resident who now lives in Rapid City.

With so many children being served, more than just the Sheriff’s Office and Brookings Police Department participate: The South Dakota Highway Patrol, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, and the South Dakota University Police Department all participate in the program, as do the school resource officers.

This year’s outing is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 13. Starting at 5 p.m., children who want their faces painted by Bob “Boz” Bosworth of Body Illustrations will meet at the Subway at Walmart.

At 6 p.m., the kids, their families and the officers will eat and Santa will make an appearance. He tells everyone, “Merry Christmas,” and hands out the gift cards.

Then each child and an officer will go through Walmart, picking out items with their $250. When they’re done, Walmart employees will gift-wrap any of the purchased items. This is thanks to the work of Walmart Pharmacy manager Donita Fleming, who organizes that.

There is still time to donate to the program so that more children can be helped.

Fishbaugher said any donations of any amount are welcome. “You can donate $5, you can donate $5,000. Whatever you want to do.”

He recommended a family taking a break from fast food, instead putting the saved money toward a donation.

It is requested that donations be made one week prior to the actual night of the event. This lets them plan ahead and know how many children they’ll be able to serve.

For those wishing to contribute, checks can be sent to Sgt. Jon Pike at the Sheriff’s Office at 315 Seventh Ave., Brookings, 57006, or Officer Joe Fishbaugher at the Brookings Police Department at 307 Third Ave., Brookings, 57006.

Contact Eric Sandbulte at ericsandbulte@brookingsregister.com.