Simple Act of Kindness Turns into Community Support

Collingdale, Pa. (WTXF) A simple act of kindness turned into a full-fledged display of community support. Residents in one Delaware County town are showing how much they care about the men and women protecting them and what started as a friendly gesture is now getting a lot of attention on social media. The story was shared on Facebook with the hashtag #CollingdaleProud

"I said I'm tired of Dunkin' Donuts getting bashed. I'm tired of police getting bashed and I just put four or five lines out there," said Collingdale Police Chief Robert Adams.

He posted on Facebook about a morning unlike any other.

"I've never had a day start like that where it's been positive, positive, positive. It was just unbelievable," he recalls.

Chief Robert Adams wrote in part: "What a great start to the day: At DD getting my morning coffee and a gentleman next to me offers to buy my coffee, the clerk says no I got this and then another customer asks about the "Police Support" signs in Collingdale then another gentleman gives me a donation towards more signs."

The chief went on describing the final thing that happened as he left the parking lot of Dunkin' Donuts on Oak and MacDade Boulevard.

"An elderly woman gets out of the car and she said 'Chief can I give you a hug?' I'm like sure. She said, 'I just like the way you run your department. The town's great and I just want to thank you,"Chief Adams told FOX 29.

Comments and likes flooded in on Facebook. Chief Adams says the kind gestures comes at a time when police departments all over are under fire.

"Because of a few bad apples circumstances have changed and we're challenged," he said.

Support is everywhere. Not just on Facebook and in the coffee shops. Collingdale Fire Departments #1 and #2 have police flags on their trucks and outside their stations.

"We do different jobs but we're all in the same community in Emergency Services. We're all brothers and sisters. We have each others backs in whatever we do," said Christopher McBreen, Chief of Collingdale Fire Company #2.

Chief Adams also said he wanted to give the local Dunkin' Donuts a Facebook shout-out after a franchise Connecticut store drew criticism when an employee refused to serve a police officer.