Royal Oak Police Chief Michael Moore shops with Calvin Johnson, 10, of Southfield, who is excited to get Fortnite gift cards.
By: Taylor Christensen | Royal Oak Review | Published December 19, 2025
ROYAL OAK — Almost 100 Royal Oak kids and families are going to have a magical holiday season following the biggest Shop With a Hero event yet on Dec. 18 at Meijer, 5150 Coolidge Highway.
Chief Michael Moore, of the Royal Oak Police Department, said that officers from Birmingham, Clawson and Ferndale all had to join in to help shop for gifts because of the large turnout.
“We shopped for nearly 100 kids. It was a great turnout,” Moore said. “Not only was it Royal Oak police and firefighters, but our neighboring public safety departments had to come in and help because there were so many kids to shop for.”
The Shop With a Hero event is an event put on by the Royal Oak Civic Foundation in a partnership with Meijer.
Each child in attendance received a $100 gift card and was paired with a hero, who was there to help them shop for whatever they wanted for Christmas.
Royal Oak Civic Foundation Chair Tom McGannon said that the ROCF donates approximately $6,000 to the program that it raises throughout the year. Meijer then price matches and donates that amount as well.
“The civic foundation raises funds throughout the year for this, so it’s a really great event and we have a lot of the foundation members there,” McGannon said. “They are all volunteers from the community, and a few of us got to help out with the shopping because there were so many kids.”
McGannon said that the Royal Oak Civic Foundation hosts many different events to support the community, but this one is exceptional and continues to get bigger each year.
“This one, (Shop With a Hero) is particularly special because it brings together so many elements of our community. It’s our local schools, it’s our police and firefighters and first responders, it’s the Meijer corporation, so it’s a one plus one equals three,” he said. “To see the actual impact on the kids’ lives is unmatched. … Everyone feels very passionate to be a part of this program.”
Moore said that working with the kids and seeing his officers participate in the fun is always a memorable experience.
“It’s obvious that there are people struggling right now. And being able to bring a smile to kids’ faces around Christmastime, and being able to put some gifts under the tree that might not be there otherwise, is exciting,” Moore said. “It’s really exciting for the police officers and the firefighters. You see them walking around with huge smiles on their faces and laughing and connecting with the community.”
Moore said that the officers even had to apprehend the Grinch a few times as he tried to steal away gifts from the grocery carts.
“A couple of times we had to step in when the Grinch would take a toy out of a shopping cart and walk away quickly, and we would have to go and get him to take the toys back,” he said. “The kids thought that was pretty funny.”
The event would not be possible without donations from community members and surrounding businesses, according to McGannon, who said that every donation is one that counts.
“The Royal Oak Civic Foundation has been growing exponentially over the last few years, and with the great support from the Royal Oak City Commission, we are really addressing some great community needs and establishing some pretty important community traditions as well, too,” he said. “We are really trying to give these families a really, really great experience. And it’s really uplifting. You can see it; you can feel it.”
For more information on the Royal Oak Civic Foundation, visit royaloakcivicfoundation.org. For more information on the Royal Oak Police and Fire departments, visit romi.gov.