Volunteers, law enforcement officers give families of cancer patients a shopping spree

MONROE, N.C. — Volunteers with the Hometown Heroes program and law enforcement officers took more than 40 families shopping for Christmas gifts.

Local officers and deputies escorted the families to the store in their patrol cars, and each family had more than $700 to spend.

Hometown Heroes teamed with numerous local law enforcement agencies to take local kids with critical or terminal illnesses shopping for Christmas.

For one night, a local Monroe Walmart closed to customers, and made room for the families, each with children battling cancer.

Jeff Cook helped organize the shopping spree through Hometown Heroes in partnership with local officers and deputies.

They have been raising money since Thanksgiving to host the Christmas shopping spree for families.

“This is Christmas. It’s Christmas for us just as well,” Cook said.

Kim Porter, shopping with her daughter Sarah, has been on the receiving end of this gift for the past decade.

For the past five years, they have been giving back and have helped to raise money for other families like theirs.

"Hometown Heroes just opened their arms, and just really helped us out as a family,” Porter said. “(Sarah) just told me one day, ‘I want to help.”

Next in the shopping line, Tameeka McClain said her daughter Skyy wasn’t strong enough to attend, but sent her a list instead.

“A Barbie camper, some Barbie dolls,” McClain said. “She sent me with a note. It is just, it’ll leave you speechless. I'll tell you that much, because it so overwhelming and so great what they do.”

One of the smallest shoppers, Kaylon, said his best gift was being "with family and (getting) to help others.”

The organization helps families throughout the year with their medical bills and transportation.

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