GRANITE CITY — The Granite City Police Officers PBPA Unit 15 hosted the annual Shop with a Hero event on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, at the Granite City Township Building, providing support and holiday cheer to 29 children from the community.
Since its inception in 2017, the Shop with a Hero program in Granite City has assisted more than 150 children, typically serving between 18 and 25 kids each year. This year’s event expanded to include 29 participants, each receiving a $250 Walmart gift card to spend alongside a police officer or other community “hero.”
The Shop with a Hero event is primarily funded through community donations, with additional support from Minutemen Press, which provided t-shirts for the children.
Children arrived at the Granite City Township Building between 8:30 and 9 a.m., where Santa Claus was present from 9 to 10 a.m. Following the visit with Santa, the children and their assigned heroes departed for Walmart around 10 a.m. to shop together.
After the shopping trip, participants returned to the Township Building for a sit-down meal provided by St. John’s Church of Granite City. Families also received boxes of donated food containing breakfast and dinner items, along with Pizza World gift cards donated by Pizza World.
“This is the most fun our guys have all year long,” said a representative of the Granite City Police Officers PBPA Unit 15. “Shop with a Hero is a day that we get to help some of the children in our community and have fun with them. It doesn’t get better than this.”
The event was made possible through the contributions and support of local organizations, including St. John UCC, BC Photography, Chris Mitchell of GCSD9, the Granite City Police Wives, Finazzo Tree Service, Pizza World, Smokey Joes, and the Missouri & Illinois Railroad Police Association.
