Shop with a Cop brings smiles to community young children | The Delano Document

For Mario Nunez, it has been a labor of love for approximately 3 many years arranging the function that constantly delivers smiles to the scores of children assisted each and every calendar year.

Dec. 12 at the Delano Walmart was the most recent, 28th annual Shop with a Cop party that involved 4 Delano City Council customers sponsoring consumers.

Sgt. Nunez retired from the Delano Law enforcement Division previously this month, but he will rarely retire from being part of the event, which for decades was held at the Delano Kmart section keep.

Back in 2019, it was held for the to start with time at the Delano Walmart.

For Nunez, it was his 23rd yr collaborating. Family members had been delivered 316 food stuff baskets, as well, which have been provided out at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church “for the reason that the hall was even bigger and we used a by-appointment procedure,” Nunez claimed.

Did the COVID-19 global pandemic influence the toy giveaway in any big way, other than everyone putting on masks?

“The only variation was no Santa Claus or free of charge breakfast for the households right before the true procuring,” Nunez extra.

Fourteen police officers participated. Freshly selected Delano Mayor Bryan Osorio also showed up.

Recently elected Council member Salvador Solorio-Ruiz sponsored one particular of the small children, Nunez explained. Whilst fellow newcomer council member Veronica Vasquez sent representatives and sponsored two kids.

Council member Joe Alindajao served make baskets and also sponsored small children, Nunez extra.

“Walmart gave me a grant, and Adventist Wellbeing Delano (clinic) gave me a grant,” he explained. “The Delano Police Officers Affiliation also gave me dollars.”

Nunez remembered his early Christmases as a youthful boy dwelling in the Lamont-Weedpatch spot, “when there wasn’t a ton less than the compact Christmas tree my mom set on the counter.”

“Sometimes it was only a person reward apiece, or we didn’t have anything at all,” he reported. “Some yrs, if not for (reward-providing) programs again then, we wouldn’t have had Xmas.”

Every single youngster been given a profile detailing dresses they want, and toys they sought after. And they got a reward card to do just that, Nunez said.

Incredibly, Nunez claimed officers and other volunteer buyers generally go about by at minimum $200, “and at times substantially extra.”