‘Holiday Heroes’ bring joy to local kids one cart at a time

8 hours ago

Shelby Brown,

Shop with a hero-2025
Shop with a Cop-2025

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – You may have noticed heavy police, firefighter, and even EMS/ambulance presence at the Cape Girardeau Walmart this morning. First responders from multiple counties responded….the call? Christmas shopping with a child in need.

Around 5:30 am on Tuesday November 2, 2025, aisles inside the Cape Girardeau Walmart were filled with laughter and Christmas cheer as dozens of local children got to participate in the Shop with a Hero Program.

Shop with a Hero pairs local kids with first responders for a special morning of Christmas shopping. The program is run through Walmart who coordinates the event with local first responders.

‘Local heroes’ got to go hand in hand with a child excited to pick out a new bike, new toys, or whatever they might want for Christmas.

Cape Girardeau’s Public information’s Officer Bobby Newton says they had first responders from all over the region show up this morning eager to help.

“We’ve got first responders from across the region that come in every year and get to hang out with the kids, do some shopping with them. We’ve had first responders from the Benton area, Cape County, Missouri, Department of Conservation, Cape PD, Cape Fire, Fruitland Fire. I mean, it was just incredible the amount of heroes we had show up this morning” says Newton.

Newton shares that this holiday program is just as rewarding for the first responders as it is for the kids. He says watching all the children head home with smiles on their faces brings pure Christmas joy to all who attend.

“Everything they get today goes with them and it’s all options. You know, they can buy for themselves, but you know a lot of the kids want to buy for, you know, their siblings that aren’t, aren’t able to shop or for their parents or anything like that. So, it’s great to see the heart and the children that want to share with others that don’t have as well” says Newton.