Jeremy Renner takes kids shopping at 'Shop with the Sheriff' in South Reno

Jenny Kane | Reno Gazette Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Watch: Sparks fourth grader talks about shopping with Jeremy Renner Sebastian Villaflores talks about shopping with Jeremy Renner for the 'Shop with the Sheriff' event on Dec. 10, 2019 at Walmart in South Reno.

There were three celebrities Tuesday night at the Walmart in South Reno: Santa Claus, the county sheriff, and Avengers star Jeremy Renner.

You can guess who gave out the most autographs. Hint: It wasn't Santa or the sheriff.

"You don't like Thanos? Ha!" said Renner to his partner, Sebastian Villaflores, a witty 10-year-old from Miguel Sepulveda Elementary School in Sparks.

Renner ruffled Villaflores's hair and kept sifting through the Avengers selection in the toy aisle, skipping a purchase of Thanos, the fictional super villain.

"Oh hey it's me. Look I'm a ninja!" said Renner, throwing in the cart a small action figure based on Renner's Avengers character, Hawkeye.

On Tuesday, more than 200 volunteer shoppers paired with 250 underprivileged children selected by the Washoe County School District and local nonprofit social services for the Shop with the Sheriff event.

Each child was given a $200 spending allowance, which they used to purchase clothes and toys for themselves or their families alongside a volunteer from the Washoe County Sheriff's Office or the Washoe County Honorary Deputy Sheriff's Association, which provided funding for the event. Shopping restrictions were put in place.

Renner, who became an honorary Washoe County Sheriff's Office deputy in 2018, was one of the volunteers dodging in and out of the aisles of video games and puffy coats. Whispers of "Hawkeye" and "that famous guy" trailed him from shoppers and Walmart staff alike, but Renner carried on with Villaflores without notice of the stir that followed him around.

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Renner is becoming a regular in Reno's give-back community, just last month volunteering with Harvest for Hope and the Reno Hope Bus to help feed and clothe homeless people in downtown Reno.

"Close your eyes and think about your family. Anything else pop in your head?" Renner asked Villaflores, who picked out a Paw Patrol toy for his brother and a Minnie Mouse stuffed chair for his sister.

"I think we're going to need a second cart," Villaflores said, chuckling with Renner.

For 17 years, the Washoe County Sheriff's Office has organized the Shop with the Sheriff event, originally organized by Sheriff Darin Balaam's late father, Sheriff Dennis Balaam.

From 2018: Avengers actor Jeremy Renner visits Sheriff Chuck Allen in Reno

"It's amazing. You watch, and they're worried about their moms, their friends, their neighbors, they don't worry about themselves. They want to make sure everyone else is taken care of before them, and that is what truly Christmas is about," said Sheriff Darin Balaam. "When you get to tell them, 'Hey, let's go get you something,' and their eyes light up. That's the greatest feeling."

Balaam recalled being a deputy with his own young children the first year the event was held, and this year he was able to bring his children, now older, to help with the shopping.

This year, he helped a little boy who wrote him a handwritten letter accompanied by a pencil drawing. The letter read, "Thank you so much for all the gifts. I really appreciate them. You have made me really happy!"

The little boy added on the back of the notebook paper, "Thank you for protecting us and serving us. I will always obey laws."

Deputy Renner's assistance during the evening, was greatly appreciated, Balaam said.

"To have him be a part of this, and enhance this experience for the kids? Again, amazing," Balaam said.

Disclosure: The reporter has a close family member employed by the Washoe County Sheriff's Office.

Jenny Kane covers arts and culture in Northern Nevada, as well as the dynamic relationship between the state and the growing Burning Man community. She also covers the state's burgeoning cannabis industry (Check out her podcast, the Potcast, on iTunes.) Support her work in Reno by subscribing to RGJ.com right here.