ELKHART — Officers from the Elkhart Police Department gathered at the Walmart on Old U.S. 20 Monday evening for the Shop with a Cop program.

Shop with a Cop pairs officers with Elkhart Community Schools students that might not get many opportunities to do Christmas shopping.

Lt. Laura Koch said about 20 children participated in Shop with a Cop this year and said that the program, while providing gifts for children in need, is also a time for officers to connect in a more personal way with members of the community they serve.

“Hopefully it enlightens a lot of people,” added Cpl. Jeff Darling, who was participating in his sixth Shop with a Cop. “Police officers are not that different than anybody else.”

Darling said he enjoys shopping with the kids, observing that the children often want to pick out gifts for their siblings and parents just as much as they want to find presents for themselves.

Elkhart Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 52 raises all the money to cover the program.