‘Shop With a Cop’ treats Midlands families of dialysis patients

Sisters Lilly and Rosalie Breedlove headed straight to the doll aisle of the toy section – Barbies and Shopkins and My Little Pony and – whew, the options were almost too much to choose from.

Following behind with a shopping cart waiting to be filled was Lee Wright, an officer with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

She and more than 20 other Midlands cops helped make holiday wishes come true Saturday for children with family members who are dialysis patients on tight budgets.

“God has blessed me, so I can bless others,” Wright said.

Six-year-old Lilly and 5-year-old Rosalie live with their grandmother, Deidre Breedlove, and their great-grandmother, “Grammy” Gail Breedlove, who has been on dialysis for 11 years. Deidre Breedlove was happy to push her granddaughters in a shopping cart as they picked out gifts that will be from Grammy.

A Shimmer and Shine play set for Lilly (“Oh, yes!” she beamed) and a pair of My Little Pony dolls for Rosalie. Or maybe a Monster High doll. Or maybe a kitchen set. Or maybe – well, there was lots of shopping to be done.

For 28 years, the Midlands Fraternal Order of Police has sponsored “Shop With a Cop” to help dialysis patients, many who cannot work, buy gifts for their families. On Saturday, they shopped with more than 40 children from 20 families.

“This is the only way I can provide for them for Christmas,” Mary Middleton said of her four grandchildren. She watched as one of her grandsons, 8-year-old Dyron Johnson, plopped a wrestling action figure and some Hot Wheels cars into a cart where his younger sister, 2-year-old Ava, sat with a baby doll and some soft blankets.

Law enforcement officers from agencies across Richland, Lexington and Newberry counties said they count it a joy to help the children shop for their presents.

“I guess it’s God’s calling,” said Richland County Sheriff’s Deputy Debo Hayes. “We feel good about being able to help them in some small way.”

The hardest part of the shopping trips, she said, can sometimes be making sure that the adults, often grandparents, pick something out to treat themselves, too, rather than spend all the money on their kids.

But it’s the kids’ joy that makes the trip so fun, said David Burns, a school resource officer with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.

“It’s heartwarming to see the kids light up,” Burns said.

This story was originally published December 17, 2016 at 4:26 PM.