El Cajon police officers received a gift from a local church with a simple request: pay it forward if you came across someone in need.
Officer Eric Thornton was true to that cause on Tuesday when he came across a young girl with autism. She was extra sad this holiday season because she said she was on a liquid diet after a recent surgery.
Thornton’s gift of a giant stuffed animal made her day.
“The smile on her face was amazing,” Thornton posted on Facebook. “She was too shy for the picture, though!”
St. Luke’s Church in El Cajon gave the stuffed animals to the police department as part of a toy drive, so officers could hand them out in the field to someone in need of joy.
It turned out to be a gift to the officers, as well.
Thornton called it “one of the best moments of my career.”
