Pearl officer becomes the cop who saved Christmas

After a family's Christmas was stolen, a Pearl police officer stepped up to make certain they didn't go without.

Lt. Brian McGairty said in a post on Pearl Police Department's Facebook page that the Mushaweck family called police to their home on Dec.14 to report packages stolen from their front porch.

Officer Christopher Sholar learned that the packages were actually Christmas gifts for the children, and that the family was not in a financial situation where they could replace the gifts.

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Sholar did his duty, filing out the report and giving the family a report number, but as McGairty posted, "that's where things just began."

Sholar coordinated with his shift at the department as well as other officers and members of the community to raise enough money through donations to replace the gifts.

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On Christmas Eve, they delivered the gifts and a Christmas meal to the Mushawecks.

"The spirit of Christmas and a calling to serve is a simple reminder to all of us that it is truly better to give than receive," McGairty wrote. "Merry Christmas."

Contact Therese Apel  at tapel@gannett.com . Follow her on Facebook  and Twitter .