Florida police are spreading some Christmas cheer among the public by paying off all the layaways at a Walmart store, helping 26 customers to finally take home their purchases.
Posted by Dade City Police Department on Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Dade City Police Department teamed up with an anonymous donor to pay off bills for 26 struggling families and also show them that the police really care about their fellow citizens.
The Dad Police department shared about the incident saying, “In Dade City we are blessed to have community partners who have graciously donated funding which allows us to give back to our citizens in a number of ways at Christmas time,” it said.
“This morning, Chief James Walters and his staff were able to pay off the layaways being held at the Dade City Walmart. Twenty-six (26) accounts, totaling over $4,300.00, were paid off. The surprise and joy from the recipients was wonderful to behold.”
Posted by Dade City Police Department on Monday, December 9, 2019
Walters even made sure to call each of those families to let them know that their tab was paid off, much to the joy of those who answered his calls. “Each call made a lasting memory, not only for the recipients, but the givers, as well,” he said, according to the department’s Facebook post.
He said, “[These families] said they had given up, or they didn’t know what they were going to do,” he said, “To relieve the anxiety, and stress and worry of a parent, you can’t put a figure on that.”
They made sure to give credit where credit was due, publicly thanking the “anonymous benefactor,” and the post ended wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.
“We want to thank our anonymous benefactors who, along with our Dade City Police Foundation, do so much for us all year long. This support is magnified even more at this time of year when so many are in need of help.”
Posted by Dade City Police Department on Monday, December 9, 2019
Walters said that this act of kindness did a lot to bolster the opinion of the people about the police, “At the end of the day, there’s a huge percentage of interactions that we have with the public that are not positive,” he admitted. “[The holidays] are an opportunity to have some outreach and affect some lives in a positive way.”