Police Give Out $20 Gift Cards

East Brunswick, NJ - File this one under the ”Awww!” category.

The East Brunswick Police Department took to the streets on Friday to spread some holiday cheer — by giving random shoppers $20 Wal-Mart gift cards.

Officers randomly stopped people Friday around the township as they were shopping or getting into their cars and presented them with a $20 gift card. Some of the recipients were so moved by the gesture that they broke down into tears. One female shopper who was purchasing gifts for her children couldn’t stop crying long enough to say thank you clearly, Lt. Kevin Zebro said.

“This was an idea that quickly grew,” said Chief of Police William Krause. “Working with the two police unions we all agreed we wanted to initiate a way to bring a little more goodwill into the holiday season. Hopefully we put a smile on a few faces, and maybe encouraged some people to go out and do something nice for someone else.”

Both East Brunswick Police Unions donated $250 each for the event, which was used to purchase twenty-five gift cards in $20 denominations.