There was a large police presence at the Walmart on Plainfield Pike Saturday, but nothing was amiss. Just the opposite – all was very well.

The Cranston Police Department and the Cranston YMCA held their fourth annual “Shop With A Cop” event. Each participating officer was assigned to take one child shopping through the aisles of Walmart. Even Mayor Allan Fung and his wife, Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung, joined in as shopping guides for the children. In total, 19 children were able to shop with a cop.

The children are selected based on income and other circumstances with the assistance of the Cranston YMCA. Each child teamed up with a volunteer uniformed officer and had $125 to spend on gifts, either for family members or themselves.

Sponsoring this year’s event were the Masonic Angels Fund, BankNewport, Rob Izzi, St. David’s on-the-Hill Episcopal Church and St. Thomas in Alton.

“We are so thankful to the businesses, organizations and individuals that donated funds to make this event possible,” said Andrea Champagne, director of the Cranston YMCA. “It is an honor to participate with the Cranston Police Department to bring this experience to local families.”

Cranston School Resource Officer Matt Davis enjoyed his time shopping with 7-year-old Juliet Micheli, a first-grade student at Eden Park Elementary School. Her list included gifts for her mom and dad, friends and her dog, Annie.

Juliet had already spent more than half of her funds on other people before she went to the toy department for herself. Among her selections were a game and two dolls.

“This is our fourth year participating with the Cranston YMCA on this fantastic event,” Capt. Vincent McAteer said. “We are thrilled to meet with wonderful members of our community. This is an event that all of our members look forward to every year. We are honored to have this opportunity to make the holidays a little brighter.”