Fifty kids from Westbury School District stood cheering at the entrance of Target while officers dressed as Batman, Spider-Man and other favorite heroes sprang from police vehicles to greet them.
The Nassau County Police Department joined the kids to shop for the Heroes & Helpers event, hosted by the NCPD Foundation. Through the program, children from local schools are partnered with an officer to spend a $100 gift card on holiday shopping. Community Affairs officers transported the students to the Westbury Target, where holiday music played and an NCPD Aviation Unit Helicopter did a fly-by.
Zoey St. Hilaire, a 9th grader at Westbury High School and a member of the ROTC program, was shopping for her siblings. This was her second year attending the event. “Last year we went with this cop, his name was Mike. When I was done shopping, it cost more than my card, and he paid for it. That was very generous, and after that he bought us Starbucks,” she said.
“We’re bringing a lot of kids out from the communities, they’re walking and talking with our police officers, and they’re getting to see what the good side of policing is about. With our community outreach, we’re putting smiles on these kids’ faces,” said Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder.
The toy section was bustling, but some kids opted for new clothes and PJs. José, 11, filled his cart with new socks and a Champion sweater. He said he had fun walking around with the officers and admitted that his favorite part of the holiday season was “no school.”
“It’s my favorite event that we do every year,” said Christine Malandra, the asset protection business partner for Nassau County Target stores. “To see them be able to pick out the things that they want, and they have a lot of fun with the superheroes, it’s really a lot of fun.”
Since its founding in 2009, Target’s Heroes & Helpers event has awarded more than $7 million in grants to local charities, according to the company.
Officers from Community Affairs, Police Activity League, Homeland Security, Strategic Response Team and Problem-oriented police units were present.
