Saturday's Trunk-or-Treat fundraiser raised more funds than expected, according to people putting on the event.
Sgt. Joe Schramm of the Fulton Police Department said people who came Saturday evening to the Callaway County Fairgrounds contributed generously to the event hosted by the department and the Fulton Jaycees.
Schramm said many people often gave more than the requested entrance fee.
"We had around 800 kids," he said. "We raised over $1,000. It was probably our best year for the event. Although each child cost $1, a lot of people gave us more."
In fact, donations were still rolling in Monday, Schramm said.
"We're still taking in," he said. "We took in a couple of checks in today. Now we're going to start selecting children for the (Shop with a Hero) event."
All proceeds from the event go to "Shop with a Hero," a program Schramm started, which allows underprivileged children to ride with a county emergency responder and go Christmas shopping at Walmart.
"The goal is to give Christmas to a family that wouldn't otherwise have a Christmas," he said. "I think it builds the trip with the community to see us in another light. We usually average between 50 and 60 children countywide. That's what I'm doing this year"
Past events have lifted some of the financial burden of the holidays from families. One instance also illustrated the true spirit of the holidays, Schramm added.
"We had a kid purchase Christmas Dinner for his family," Schramm said. "It touched the manager, so they gave him another $50 to spend on himself, but he once again bought more food for his family. Eventually, the manager took a bike off the rack and gave it to him."
Children are currently being selected by the Fulton police in conjunction with Serve Inc. and other charitable organizations. In December, Schramm said police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians will take those children on their shopping spree.
For more information about the event, contact Schramm at the Fulton Police Department.