The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department’s Reserve Division held its annual “Shop with a Cop” program at the Niles Walmart Saturday.

This year, the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office Reserve Division partnered with the Berrien Springs-Oronoko Township Police Department to make the program a dual-agency event.

The two organizations assisted six families and 20 children by allowing the kids to shop for Christmas gifts for themselves, their family members and their friends.

Following the “shopping” portion of the event, officers took the children and their families to Michiana Christian Embassy in Niles for lunch and gift-wrapping with Mrs. Claus and members of Michiana Christian Embassy.

The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department’s Reserve Deputy Division also provided food baskets to all six families, allowing them to have a holiday dinner and food for the holiday season.

The six families and their children were referred to the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department by various schools and civic organizations, which felt they could use the assistance this year.

The following businesses and/or civic organizations donated money, goods, and services to this function:

• Friends for Berrien Springs

• Wightman & Associates

• Pike’s Funeral Home

• Berrien County Sheriff’s Office Reserve Deputies

• Southeast Berrien County Landfill

• D.A. Dodd

• A1 Road Service

• Chemical Bank

• Niles area Wal-Mart

• Subway Restaurants

• Milano’s Pizza

• Michiana Christian Embassy

• Kalin Construction.

• Anonymous donor

Without the donations, the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office Reserve Deputy Division and the Berrien Springs-Oronoko Township Police Department would not have been able to assist all six families and their children.

In what was described as a “touching and caring” moment by those involved, a man who wished to remain anonymous approached the officers at Walmart and gave them six gifts cards — one for each of the six families.