POST FALLS — “Thank you,” 5-year-old Cody Mitchell said softly and sweetly as he looked up to Coeur d’Alene Police records specialist Liz Foster.

With a Ninja Turtle in one hand and a hot dog in the other, Cody gave her a smile. He said when he grows up, he wants to be a police officer.

“They arrest people when they’ve done something bad,” he said with excitement in his voice.

Cody and more than 100 other children spent Sunday with their hometown heroes during the 18th annual Holidays and Heroes program. Officers from several agencies such as the Coeur d’Alene, Rathdrum, Spirit Lake and Post Falls police departments, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police, Kootenai County Fire and Rescue and more went Christmas shopping with the kids at Walmart, then headed over to the Greyhound Park and Event Center to have their presents wrapped by an army of festive volunteers.

“I feel great. I think it’s a great experience,” said Coeur d’Alene Police Officer Josh Sterling of Hayden, who has been involved with the program for four years.

“Really, what it’s about is giving back to the community and showing these kids they need to be able to recognize that we’re here to help them out and they can come talk to us. I feel that is really important,” Sterling added.

He and Foster paired up to take Cody around and help him find presents for his family.

“He’s doing really good, he’s having tons of fun,” Sterling said.

“It was really awesome,” said Foster, of Coeur d’Alene. “It’s so cool to be able to be part of the community and I think it’s such a positive experience for them. And he’s been a blast, too.”

The Holidays and Heroes program helps make the season bright for families in the community that are struggling. The children, usually ages 5-12, are chosen by school counselors, patrol officers, resource officers or firefighters who have encountered them at some point through the year. Each year, agencies raise funds and collect donations for the event and officers are given gift cards with a certain amount to spend on their kiddos. Coeur d’Alene Police Sergeant Christie Wood said it is definitely not uncommon for the officers to go over the amount and dip into their personal funds to help these children have a merry Christmas.

“We have officers who have gone back for several years, stayed in touch with the families,” she said. “They might buy a family a television. They do some great things.”

All of the officers and firefighters who volunteered for Holidays and Heroes were in full uniform, creating a sweet juxtaposition when tough, muscular officers held little hands in theirs or bent down to gently zip little pink coats or tie the laces on small Spiderman shoes. Lieutenant Stu Miller of the KCSO said about 10 of his officers were happily participating in the event.

“When you talk to mom, when you talk to dad, when you go pick up the kids, one of the most fascinating things is they’re so appreciative,” he said. “I had one uncle tell me, ‘I don’t want anything for me, just the kids.’ It’s just a great community-type of an event that we can do for these families. You see all these little kids, and they’re so shy when you pick them up. This kind of gives them a better understanding that cops, they just want to be helpful to the families.”

The kids were treated to pizza, hot dogs, cakes and snacks while their presents were being wrapped. They also had an opportunity to visit Santa and his elves as holiday music played throughout the building. All the kids were sent home with their gifts as well as blankets, stuffed animals, food boxes and other helpful items.

Wood said Holidays and Heroes is a special day for everyone involved, especially the officers.

“It is seriously probably the best day of the year for the officers,” she said. “They get to experience a very joyful time rather than a negative situation. I love it.”