WEST SENECA, N.Y. — You never know where one act of kindness might lead.
A line from a Facebook post Wednesday tells an incredible story of kindness, one that was all in day's work for four patrolmen from the West Seneca Police Department.
The department first posted the story Tuesday. The officers answered a call for a man sleeping in the bushes on Orchard Park Road. He was just trying to keep warm. His shoes, they explained, were just the upper part of a boot taped to a flip flop.
Together, the officers created a care package, including food, clothes, new sneakers and new boots.
They didn't want any recognition, but the man who they helped named Gabe, who is just 24 years old, felt differently.
The department updated the story on its Facebook page on Wednesday, saying that the officers further encouraged Gabe to accept some help.
He will get medical and mental health care, an ID card, a stimulus check and access to finding a job and a permanent home.
So moved by everyone's generosity, Gabe wanted this story shared in hopes it might inspire others to lend a hand when they see someone who needs it.
The department says the officers were adamant about not wanting any kind of special attention for what they did, but the department said they thought the four patrolmen certainly deserved it.
Judging by the response, the community agreed.