Bartow County Comes Together For Shop With A Hero

CARTERSVILLE, GA -- Hundreds of volunteers and public safety employees descended onto Cartersville Saturday to bring a smile to the faces of some of Bartow County's less fortunate children. The 10th annual Shop with a Hero initiative was held Dec. 16 at Walmart, allowing these children to pair up with volunteers to shop for Christmas presents for themselves or family members.

About 300 children benefited from Saturday's program, said Bartow County Sheriff's Office investigator Hollie McKamey, who helps organizes the annual event.

"We love it," she said. "This program cannot happen without the community."

Before the shopping began, the children were treated to breakfast and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Clarence Brown Conference Center. After breakfast is served and door prizes are drawn, the children and their families were loaded onto school buses and provided an escort to Walmart.

Once there, they were paired with a hero or civilian volunteer where they could spend up to $150. One hundred dollars had to be spent on clothing and the remaining $50 was spent on what the child pleases.

McKamey said scores of groups, such as Beta Clubs, churches and local Explorers posts, are all responsible for making sure the program goes off without a hitch.

Sheriff Clark Millsap told Patch he believed Saturday's turnout was "awesome," as 2017 looked to be the biggest year on record as far as the number of children served. Watching the heroes interact with the children and seeing the community come together for a great cause "just warms your heart," he added.

"When you see the light in their eyes, you know that God is good and that Santa is good," he added.

Images via Kristal Dixon