People In This Community Were Concerned About An Older Man Passing Candy Out To Strangers, But The Police Said It Turned Out To Be Random Acts Of Kindness

Emily Chan |

Mar 16, 2023

G-IMAGES - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only

Have you ever done something nice for another fellow human being just because? There was no particular reason for it; you were simply trying to be thoughtful.

Then, as you may know, small acts of kindness can go a long way towards making someone else’s day.

A kind gesture might include complimenting a person’s outfit, holding open a door, shoveling a neighbor’s driveway, or sending a thank you note.

Random Acts of Kindness Day is on February 17th, and it’s a day to celebrate and spread kindness and compassion.

Unfortunately, one act of service performed by an older man was at first perceived as suspicious, but authorities determined that his heart was in the right place.

In a press release, police in the town of Hanover, Ontario, revealed that they were investigating two incidents involving questionable activity conducted by an older male with gray hair and glasses.

The first incident occurred on March 1st when a man exited his car and offered a box of “Pot of Gold” chocolates to a young boy who was walking home from school.

Now, I’m sure we’ve all been told as kids not to take candy from strangers.

So, of course, the boy refused the chocolates. However, the man kept insisting he accept them and even stated that the boy could give them to his mother instead.

G-IMAGES – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only

The second incident happened the following day, March 2nd. A man of a similar appearance circled a neighborhood in his car, taking photos of children playing in their yard.

The man looped around the block multiple times and snapped several more photos.

It turns out that these two incidents had no connection with each other. The second incident was unrelated and is still under investigation.

In the end, police came to the conclusion that the man with the chocolates had meant no harm and did not pose a danger to the community.

“The person who handed out the ‘Pot of Gold’ chocolates has been identified and interviewed. They handed out chocolates to several people of varying ages inspired by random acts of kindness,” wrote police chief Christopher Knoll on Twitter.

HPS Press Release – Suspicious Male in the Town of Hanover. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Hanover Police Service or @CrimeStoppersGB. pic.twitter.com/Wsk2TpFmie

— Christopher Knoll (@ChiefKnoll) March 3, 2023