'Secret Santa' spreads joy through Vallejo

VALLEJO, Calif. (KTVU) - Vallejo police were able to spread some holiday cheer with the help of an anonymous donor.

The anonymous donor called the Vallejo police chief, "so he called me and said 'I want to donate $5,000 in Target gift cards - so 50 $100 cards and give them to our officers to find people it would benefit for the Christmas season and pass them out.'"

The officers set out on their mission of kindness, knocking on doors in the community.

They surprised a woman who was robbed by a man who had said he would buy her wedding ring. "I didn't want to sell it but we were having money problems," she said. 

They also surprised a little boy who wrote the chief a kind message. But in some cases they just stopped people on the street with the surprise.

The recipients were both shocked and thankful.