Cops in California stopped unsuspecting Walmart shoppers—their next move left the shoppers speechless
It is a police officer's duty to keep their community out of harm's way and to make people feel supported. But in one California city, the officers went a step ahead to ensure that their community was happy and secure. Their gesture went way beyond the purview of their duty and gave them a chance to have positive interactions with people. The officers in Oceanside stopped shoppers at Walmart and asked them to step aside for a special and heartwarming reason, per CBS 8 San Diego.
The department had started a "Random acts of kindness project", where they gave shoppers at Walmart money as they shopped for their groceries and more. "So, how much money do you think you’re going to spend today?" Officer TJ Dunn asked a woman, Sandy Hughes, who was shopping at that time. "More than I want to!" The officer explained, "I'm going to give you $100 in cash. It's called an act of kindness." The woman was really surprised at the gesture, as she was not expecting such a thing at all. She was also going through friction in life at that time because her rent had gone up and she would have to move out of her apartment.
"Oh my god!" the woman exclaimed as she happily talked to the officers after receiving the money. The department had decided to give away around $20,000 to random people around the city to make their day. A resident had specifically donated that amount to the police department for the purpose. It allowed them to give out money throughout the year and help struggling people a little in an unexpected way. "Most of the time when people call the police, it's not under the greatest circumstances. It's when something bad has happened, there's an emergency, there's trauma involved. So, this affords us the opportunity to make connections under positive circumstances," Jennifer Atenza, the public information officer at the department, remarked.
A grateful Hughes gave both officers a big hug for their kindness. The officers surprised many other people with $100 cash at the grocery store. The officers also went to gas stations around the area and gave people cash to help with gas money. Many people were grateful for the help they received from the department. The gesture was meant to help people with their living expenses. People appreciated the gesture in the comments section of the YouTube video. @MidnightRover-Lee wrote, "Great Job... Friendly reminder; lest we forget, the homeless in our communities shop for groceries from day to day as well. A happy meal can change lives or at least give all hope."
But @357pghguero felt, "Give it to people who really need it, like the homeless who sleep in downtown on Mission Ave instead of going to Frazier Farms and handing out money to people who already make $150k a year. Also, what is up with the new homeless shelter that was supposed to be open by the end of June this summer? They haven't even started renovating the old Ocean Shores one." @louettesommers8594 remarked, "How wonderful that someone has donated that money. God bless whoever it was."