This holiday season the man in the big red suit got a little help from the crew in blue.

The Yorkville Police Department station was filled with laughter as 44 kids opened presents and took photos with Santa during the seventh annual “Shop with a Cop” event on Dec. 1 in Yorkville.

Each year the event highlights the spirit of giving and generosity of the community with partners ranging from the Kiwanis Club of Yorkville, Kendall Partners, Restore Church, Casey’s of Yorkville and Target, donating funding for each of the kids to open presents.

Kids lined-up for a special moment with Santa Claus while enjoying Rosati’s pizza and snacks from Costco, all while laughing and learning from police officers, the department said.

“This event is especially meaningful to us as an agency because it’s driven purely by the desire to share the joy of the season with our community,” Deputy Chief Garrett Carlyle said. “As law enforcement, we serve our residents in many ways throughout the year, and some of those responsibilities can be heavy. This night gives us a chance to set that weight aside for a few hours and simply show a few young people in our community we value them very much.”

Carlyle said the police department is grateful for the generosity of the event’s partners, especially the Kiwanis who are a huge supporter providing funding and volunteers for the event.

“It continues to be one of the true highlights of our year,” Carlyle said.

Alderman Chris Funkhouser said as a member of the Kiwanis Club he enjoyed seeing the magic of the event first-hand.

“It was a fantastic event, I’m glad the Kiwanis could be a part of it,” Funkhouser said. “The officers did a great job. The laughs and giggles you saw from the kids opening presents and the way the police department handled it was fantastic.”