Kids in Pella had the chance to meet their heroes at a special event Tuesday.

The Pella Police Department and Pella Fire partnered with Schuring and Uitermarkt and Walmart for the first annual Pella Holiday Heroes program. Lt. Paul Haase says 20 kids went on a shopping trip to the Pella Walmart with a police officer and firefighter and wrapped gifts for their families with staff from Schuring and Uitermarkt.

“I think it’s been a great night for all the kids who were able to be involved tonight,” he says. “We’ve seen a lot of smiling faces and a lot of happy kids, so I think it’s great to be able to work with the kids and bring them a happy holidays.”

Schuring and Uitermarkt CEO Wendy Sims tells KNIA/KRLS News they had a similar program they helped with in Urbandale, and says they worked closely with the Pella PD to kick start Holiday Heroes in Pella.

“The staff in the Urbandale office have just raved about how much fun it is and how much they’ve really enjoyed getting to be a part of that,” she says. “So we started thinking, ‘why can’t we have that in Pella?’”

Both say the most rewarding aspect of the evening was seeing the happiness and excitement of the children.