By KELSEY UNRUH

Staff writer

With the holiday season come random acts of kindness, but Hillsboro Pizza Hut manager Angela Williams makes heart-warming gestures throughout the year.

Williams donates leftover pizza from the restaurant to Marion County sheriff’s deputies and Hillsboro firefighters, most recently while firefighters were spending nine hours battling a hayshed fire last week.

“It’s donate it or it goes in the trash,” Williams said. “I’d rather it goes to good use, and I always think of the sheriff’s department first.”

Williams will call dispatchers to inform a deputy there is leftover pizza if they want it, but on Christmas Eve, a Pizza Hut employee took the leftovers to Marion.

“I feel like everyone takes them for granted, so we wanted to thank them,” Williams said. “There’s been such bad rap about the police, so we wanted to make sure they know we care.”

Sheriff Robert Craft said that the donations usually happen around the holidays and that the deputies were thankful for the donations.

“I don’t know if they’re leftover or made special, but we really appreciate them doing that,” Craft said. “It’s very nice and thoughtful of them.”

The company that owns Hillsboro’s Pizza Hut also own 62 other stores in the country, 13 in Kansas. It allows donations to be made to various groups, Williams said.

“They want us to run the stores like we are the owners, so we are allowed to make decisions like that and not worry about being in trouble,” Williams said. “They are a big family-orientated company and they stand behind us when we make decisions like this.”

Those who have served the country receive donations on Veterans Day along with police and firefighters who come in on Sept. 11.

“It’s just random acts of kindness,” Williams said. “I’ve done that since I’ve been here and I’ve been here almost three years.”

Williams, who is from Canton, said she understands how small towns work.

“I just feel like growing up in a small town, working in a small town, everyone knows everyone and it’s like one big family,” Williams said, “so everyone’s there for everyone when it’s needed.”