SHOP WITH A HERO

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY: Jeff Mitchell

We are conveying the following information to you with the hope that you may want to be a part of our community outreach to our children by helping with donations or offering a rounding-up option on sales for Shop with a Hero.

The Shop with a Hero program was started to provide children a Christmas experience that would not be possible without Shop with a Hero. We also broadened our aid to our children, by purchasing medical kits that can be placed in every classroom at our school.

The program is a City program that is completely donation funded. The donations are placed in a City account and all purchases made are paid through the Accounts Payable department.

Members of the Department of Public Safety do fundraising events throughout the year. Events may be DPS only, but we also work closely with the Malden Elementary School staff, who also participate in our events to help raise funds.

The Christmas shopping is a concerted effort with the elementary school staff, the children, and the Malden Department of Public Safety. The elementary school staff selects the 40 children who would most benefit from the experience.

How the shopping works is, at our Walmart, the toy section is prepared prior to the event. At a designated area in the store, a First Responder (Police Officer, Fireman, or EMS) is waiting with a cart and each child meets their Responder, who takes them shopping. Each child has $150.00 to spend on things of their choosing within their age group. The parents are not allowed to shop with them or influence them on what to buy. The purchases are also marked so they cannot be returned by parents for refunds.