GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Police Department welcomed two special guests to their precinct Thursday
Morgan and Nathen Boening paid it forward to local police by delivering a platter of sandwiches so they wouldn’t be hungry while out protecting the community last Thursday. A month ago, the pair heard about several officer-involved shootings across the country and decided they wanted to do something nice for their local police force.
Together, they pooled together their own money and bought the force 90 different sandwiches from Jimmy John's.
“It brought tears to my eyes, I mean, just a totally proud parenting moment," their mother Jen Boening said. "Out of all the things with it, especially being summer, no school, out of anything they could’ve spent their money on. They wanted to pay it forward, and just to thank them. And it was just amazing, and seeing the joy that it brought to my kids, the feel-good moment that they had.”
Grand Rapids police responded to the gesture by giving them a tour of the department.
“I was sincerely, deeply touched by that gesture," said Sgt. Terry Dixon. "It almost choked me up, you know, so it was just an enormous, enormous amount of generosity from their part, and I couldn’t thank them more.”
Jen says her children lost their dad just a year ago, and they are displaying great moral values he would be proud of.
“I pay them out of their dad’s social security every month," Jen says. "They have to put some in the bank, and then they get to spend some. And when I asked them what they wanted to spend their money on, I figured a fair, a carnival, something fun. Video games, hair, make up, nails - and they said they wanted to do something for law enforcement.”
It was a touching moment for the force and the Boenings.
“My faith in humanity is restored and maintained," Dixon says. "Just knowing that, you know what, these are the people that I serve. I serve everyone, but there are really, really decent people. Kind, compassionate, generous people that we serve as a whole.”
