In the Lego aisle at the Walmart on Joliet Road in Hodgkins, one kid took his time.
Toni Tranchita stood beside her son, T.J., as he turned Lego boxes over in his hands, reading the backs, putting one down and picking up another. No one rushed him.
“This makes me cry,” Tranchita said. “Everything that’s going on, and then to have people take the time to do something like this for him. It’s amazing.”
The moment came during the Hickory Hills Police Department’s Shop with a Cop program, where officers spent the afternoon shopping with families connected through Almost Home Chicago Inc.
Chief Adam Gulczynski walked the aisles with Tranchita and T.J., answering questions and letting the pace stay slow. Earlier, T.J. rode to Walmart in a Hickory Hills police squad car and spent a few minutes checking out the buttons and controls.
For Tranchita, the day landed in the middle of a difficult year. She is currently living in a nursing home while managing complications from diabetes, kidney disease, vision loss, and mobility issues. She also recently lost her mother, Susan.
“I’ve been so strong for so long,” she said. “And then everything just hit.”
Her sister, Mary Lynn Radloff, joined them for the afternoon, recently home after being hospitalized following multiple transient ischemic attacks. Together, they help care for T.J., who is autistic and will turn 13 in March.
T.J. moved from Sonic the Hedgehog to Minecraft toys, then back again. He stopped at the Lego aisle more than once.
“He loves Minecraft and Legos,” Tranchita said. “Legos. Legos.”
Asked what he hoped to leave with, T.J. shared, “Probably my Lego sets,” he said.
Across the store, Detective Kaitlyn Manion spent the afternoon with the Mayrose family. Sandy Mayrose walked alongside Bella Mayrose, 4, and Leo Mayrose, 7.
“My dad was a sheriff’s deputy, so I grew up doing things like this,” Manion said. “We used to donate toys and give them out, and it was a lot of fun.”
Leo talked nonstop about wrestling and naming his favorite wrestlers. Turns out, all of them were his favorite. At one point, he stopped between shelves and danced.
“Dancing because we’re having so much fun,” he said.
Bella hesitated before climbing into the police car earlier in the day, family members said.
The nerves didn’t last long.
Chief Gulczynski said the department has done Shop with a Cop before, but it had been several years since the last one. This year’s event was organized with help from Almost Home Chicago.
“We wanted to really spend time with them,” he said. “Not rush it.”
Almost Home Chicago provides weekly meals, winter clothing, and ongoing support to families facing housing and financial instability. During the holidays, it also hosts community dinners and distributes food and supplies.
“Jamie’s amazing,” Tranchita said. “The whole group, the officers, are just taking their time to do this. He’s so excited about it.”
It wasn’t about the shopping list. For T.J. and the Mayrose kids, it was about having someone slow the day down.
