Life
Officer performs act of kindness after seeing dad have his card declined at register
A Walmart employee told the father, "I am sorry," after his card was declined. But before he could walk out with his kids, a cop approached.
Patricia Lynn
10.21.21

It can feel like the news is flooded with negativity. However, there are a lot of heartwarming stories too that restore your faith in humanity โ€“ just like the one below.

One day, Cleveland, Tennessee, police officer Michael Kelly was working security at the local Walmart.

While Officer Kelly was on duty, he noticed a father and four kids going through the self-checkout lane.

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Flickr - Mike Mozart
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Flickr - Mike Mozart

Kelly had often seen the family shopping, having taken note because the kids were so well-behaved. When the father tried to pay, however, his card was declined.

He told Inside Edition: โ€œThey went to self-checkout, and he went to put his card in. The attendant says, โ€˜I am sorryโ€™ [and] they start walking out.โ€

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YouTube - WDEF News 12
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YouTube - WDEF News 12

At that moment, something compelled the officer to help.

After the father couldnโ€™t buy his groceries, the officer wondered if he and the kids would have enough to eat. He couldnโ€™t just sit by while they left empty-handed, so he decided to pay for their items himself.

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Pixabay - Prasanta Sahoo
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Pixabay - Prasanta Sahoo
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โ€œThe little girlโ€™s face got me. Her eyes were welling up and it broke my heart. I felt God telling me, โ€˜I put you up here for a reason.'โ€

โ€œI walked up to [the man] and said, โ€œPlease let me bless you today.โ€

YouTube - WDEF News 12
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YouTube - WDEF News 12

Bystander Jermaine Bowe witnessed Kelly paying for the items, later sharing the details in a Facebook post.

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He asked people to help identify the kind-hearted officer, and when the department caught wind of the story, they immediately stepped in to help. Sharing the story to their Facebook page, they wrote:

โ€œScrolling through random Facebook posts and then see this one that makes us ALL proud to be Cleveland police officers.โ€

โ€œAfter a โ€˜heโ€™s 6โ€™5 and buffโ€™ description, we narrowed it down to our tallest officer and deducted it was School Resource Officer Mike Kelly.โ€

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Facebook - Cleveland Police Department
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Facebook - Cleveland Police Department

Since writing the post, Kellyโ€™s kind-hearted deed has gone viral.

But in the comments, members of the community werenโ€™t surprised by his actions:

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โ€œI am not surprised, Mike being Mike exactly.โ€

โ€œMike has always had a big heart, what a great guy!โ€

โ€œNot a bit surprised. He comes from a long line of good people.โ€

In their post, the department added: โ€œIt is guaranteed that Kelly wouldnโ€™t want the credit from this, but itโ€™s these random acts of kindness that inspire US ALL to be kind to others.โ€

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A similar event occurred in Texas.

A man in his 50s or 60s had stopped to buy food and medication before having a diabetic episode in the parking lot. After collapsing and losing consciousness, he awoke to find his food and meds had been stolen.

Flickr - David Schott
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Flickr - David Schott

After approaching the storeโ€™s security guard and officer on patrol, the man couldnโ€™t believe it when Officer Koryciak offered to repurchase his medication, essential items, and $25 worth of vegetables and other food. She later said diabetes runs in her family, so she connected with the man.

She told reporters: โ€œI would do it again in a heartbeat.โ€

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Flickr - Random Retail
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Flickr - Random Retail

We might not be able to change everything in the world today โ€“ but we can do our best to spread kindness to others. These cops have shown that even small good deeds can have a big impact.

Check out the video below to see an interview with the big-hearted officer, Mike Kelly!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

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