Local law enforcement officers spread holiday cheer to elderly citizens earlier Thursday.

A deputy with the Effingham County Sheriff's Office was contacted by a member of Grace United Methodist Church, which partners with Save-A-Lot to provide meals to those in need. The deputy and a Rincon police officer identified some residents from Willowpeg Village apartments as recipients of the meals. Many at this apartment complex are elderly and on a fixed income. Several who were contacted had little or no food in the home.  

Deputies, officers and members of Grace United Methodist handed out more than 20 meals to residents there. It was a random act of kindness that started with one person’s want to help and quickly spread through two law enforcement agencies, according to ECSO Sgt. Don White.

Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie and Rincon Police Chief Phillip Scholl both said that law enforcement officers are there to protect the community but when the opportunity to give back arises, they believe their deputies and officers will go out of their way to make that happen.