Burbank police join Boys & Girls Club kids on a holiday shopping spree
Tyrese Navel, 9, checks out the toys he found as Burbank Police Officer Michael Hounanian pushes the cart at Target for the Burbank Police Department’s “Shop with a Cop” event.
Accompanied by police officers and McGruff the Crime Dog, 30 Burbank children roamed the aisles of the Target store in the Empire Center to purchase holiday gifts for themselves and their families.
It was part of Burbank police’s annual Shop with a Cop event, where officers help youths from lower-income backgrounds purchase gifts with the help of a $2,000 donation from Target and several other sponsors. Each child was handed a $100 gift card, and it was up to them how they would spend it.
“It’s a way for everybody to coalesce into the spirit and meaning of the holidays,” Burbank Chief of Police Scott LaChasse said. “Thank God we have corporate sponsors out there willing to jump up and contribute to making other people happy during the holidays.”
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Sean Kang, 10, shows a gift he found to a friend while his shopping partner, Burbank Police Officer Jorge Jaime, calculates how much Sean has left to spend at Target for the “Shop with a Cop” event on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016.
The annual shopping spree has been held for for nearly 30 years.
For its involvement, Target drew on several stores for its donation to the event. Ryan Sebesta, loss prevention manager at the Burbank location, said stores in Pacoima, Granada Hills and Valencia contributed.
“Those stores weren’t doing their own [Shop with a Cop event], so they donated to this one so we could get more kids,” Sebesta said. “Who doesn’t like cheering up kids?”
Lianne DePino, director of club services for the Boys and Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley, said the spree is something the children look forward to every year. In addition to having the opportunity to buy gifts, she said it was a way for the children to have positive interactions with the police.
“It’s just a very great event that the police put together for the Boys and Girls Club. We’re very appreciative,” she said.
According to Angela Burrows, an officer with the department’s community resource bureau, the children sometimes needed to be prodded to get something for themselves.
“We encourage them to get a gift for themselves, but they generally choose gifts for their families, which is great,” she said.
All of the children gather with Burbank law enforcement and Target employees during the “Shop with a Cop” event.
There was no prodding required for 7-year-old Anthony Gonzalez. Within minutes of entering the store, his cart already had several toys in it — a few for himself and one for his sister.
He still had to figure out what to get for the rest of his family, but he already had something in mind for his grandparents.
“I’m going to get a water bottle for my grandma because she doesn’t have a water bottle,” he said. “And an ice bag for my grandpa because he got hurt.”
Many of the officers who participated said they found the event a humbling experience. Norman Delrosario said helping children like Anthony reminded him the importance of celebrating the holidays — especially since he has a child of his own.
“It’s touching … just to interact with those less fortunate and being able to put a smile on their face and see them light up,” Delrosario said. “A simple gesture such as this can make a huge impact on their day and their holiday season.”
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Andy Nguyen, andy.nguyen@latimes.com
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
