News Photo by Julie Goldberg Santa Claus helps Lakayla Swindle, 9, and Alpena County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Christina Bednarski shop during the Shop with a Hero event at Meijer on Wednesday.

ALPENA — Kids had the chance Wednesday to go shopping with local heroes.

Kids went shopping with members of local law enforcement, firefighters, military personnel, and conservation officers during the annual Shop with a Hero event at Meijer.

Each child was given a Meijer gift card to purchase presents for themselves or for family members, Ashley Simpson, community service trooper with the Michigan State Police-Alpena Post, said.

The heroes helped the children pick out the presents, whether it be clothes, toys, books, or other gifts.

“It’s just a good experience for some of these kids,” Simpson said. “Sometimes, they see us in the worst situations, so this gives them that positive, this is the good side of everything. This is how we can know that people are there to help, and all of those things.”

Santa Claus was at the event to get everyone into the holiday spirit. He helped the kids pick out Christmas presents.

The presents were wrapped after the kids were done Christmas shopping, so the kids could put them under their Christmas tree.

Each child was sent home with stockings filled with items donated by Wolf Family Dentistry, WATZ, Northland Area Federal Credit Union, local law enforcement, and Pepsi.

Simpson said every family went home with a turkey dinner from Meijer.

The kids were selected by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Julie Goldberg can be reached at 989-358-5688 or jgoldberg@thealpenanews.com.