Posted by The Huron Hub on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022

The season of giving is upon us.

The Huron Township Department of Public Safety launched a GoFundMe page this week in support of their annual “shop with a hero” event.

Here is a link to the fundraising website.

Below is a message from the department’s GoFundMe page:

The Huron Township Police and Fire Departments would like to work with deserving children again this holiday season with our 8th annual “Shop with a Hero” event.

Last year, we provided a Christmas for Huron Township children and multiple other well-deserving families. It was and is truly the best day of the year. Huron Township First Responders, community members, Huron School District staff and their families volunteered their time to make this happen. Our goal is to make this the best Christmas for children that otherwise may not have one.

After seeing our event for the last several years, many residents asked us how they could donate to this wonderful cause. We again ask our community partners for help in this project. Anything will help. We assure you that every dollar will go towards Huron Township Children, and receipts will be maintained.

The goal is to make this happen, not just from the Police and Fire Departments but from this great community! If we are lucky enough to surpass our goal, the Huron Township Police Department will gladly use extra money to help other families in our community. In that instance as well, all expenditures will be publicly revealed.

Based on the generosity of our residents, we were able to help many more people last year during the holiday season than ever before. Below is a synopsis of some of last year’s event, which was our biggest ever:

We started the evening by pairing each child with a Huron Township Police Officer, Huron Township Firefighter and a generous volunteer! Each child got a private ride in a Huron Township Police Car or Huron Township Fire Truck to have a night out shopping. Before leaving, each kid got the chance to get into the Police Car or Fire Truck, turn on the lights, and ring the sirens; probably their favorite part of the evening.

We traveled to the Meijer Store in Flat Rock, where each kid got to go on a shopping spree for themselves and their family. Each parent also went on a shopping spree of their own to help with Santa’s arrival on Christmas morning, not only for the kids present at the event but for their siblings as well. Special thanks to the entire staff at the Meijer in Flat Rock for going out of their way to make this memorable for these children. In addition, each family also received a $100 Meijer gift card to assist with making Christmas even more special.

(10) Huron Township Middle and High School students were also taken on shopping sprees. Their names and photos are withheld due to their age and the sensitive nature of being a teenager.

** The highlight of the event **

Each year we try to highlight a special highlight that shows the true meaning of Christmas through the eyes of a child. When we arrived at the store, each child was told that they had money to spend to buy themselves anything in the store that they wanted. One child took more than two hours to shop, while most can spend their money in 5 minutes. We asked this child why he struggled to pick things out for himself. The 6-year-old child responded that everything in the store cost too much and that he didn’t want to waste OUR money. The child then asked if they only spent half of their money, could they give the other half to their baby sister, who they said needed toys too! Once we told them their mom was shopping for their baby sister, the money was gone in 5 minutes. The selflessness of this young child showed is what the giving season is all about! Proves we never know what is going through a child’s mind!

This year we look forward to returning to our traditional event and thank the community for their partnership in creating a night that OUR kids will never forget!

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