INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis firefighters stepped up for Santa over the weekend with a shopping spree. Firefighters made breakfast for around 50 kids on Saturday morning at
Firefighters celebrated an early Christmas with around 50 children on Saturday morning. They kicked off the day at the Indianapolis Professional Firefighters Union Hall where kids ate a hearty breakfast that firefighters cooked firehouse style.
Then they loaded into buses and headed to the Greenwood Park Mall.
It was all part of IFD's Clothe-A-Child program. As part of the program, children are assigned a firefighter who helps them shop for a warm coat, clothes for school and a new pair of winter shoes.
Indy firefighters step in for Santa, take kids shopping for winter clothes
About $10,000 is spent every year to ensure kids are ready for colder temperatures.
When they were done, the buses returned the kids and firefighters back to the Union Hall where they visited with Santa and opened a gift.
IFD Batallion Chief Scott Isaacs said the fun wasn't just for the kids.
"This is a great opportunity for us, we get to see the families and the kids in a situation that they're not normally in. We usually see them in emergencies and today we get to do something fun and good with the kids," Isaacs said.
The event is a family affair with many of the firefighters being joined by their own families.
IFD said this allows the firefighters to teach "their own children the value of helping others, especially during the holidays."
The IFD Clothe-A-Child program is funded by donations and through the Fill the Bell Program. Firefighters will be "standing the bell" from Dec. 10-23 at the Macy's in Castleton Square Mall from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.