Dan Pschirer believes it doesn’t take much effort to be kind.

So when he recently saw a state trooper behind him at a Wendy’s drive-thru, he knew what he had to do.

“Whenever we got up to the window I said to the lady working, ‘I’d like to pay for the officer’s meal behind me,’ ” said Pschirer, 41, of Ford City.

Pschirer, a health and physical education teacher at Springdale Junior-Senior High School, made the kind gesture Sept. 19 when he was driving his son Rory and Rory’s friend Anderson Fabian home from hockey practice. Pschirer’s other son, Rowen, also was with them. The boys wanted Wendy’s for dinner, so they stopped at the Wendy’s restaurant at Hilltop Plaza in East Franklin, Armstrong County.

As they were waiting in line at the drive-thru, a state trooper from the Kittanning barracks pulled up behind them in a marked patrol vehicle.

“I said, ‘Hey guys, we’re going to do an act of kindness,’ ” Pschirer said.

The Wendy’s drive-thru had two windows open that day. Pschirer paid for the meals at one, then pulled up to the other to get their food.

“I could see in the mirror behind me that (the woman working) had told him that I had paid for his meal. I could see him with a smile on his face and just kind of shaking his head like, ‘What can you do? Thank you,’ ” Pschirer said.

Pschirer got his food order and left the Wendy’s without speaking with the trooper.

On Monday, Pschirer received a surprise of his own. In his mail was a letter from state police Cpl. Eric Maurer.

“I would like to personally thank you for paying for my meal. It was an act you didn’t have to do, but did out of the kindness of your heart,” Maurer wrote in the letter, dated Sept. 20. “In this current atmosphere, it has been easy for me to forget about such acts of kindness and compassion. It also reaffirms my commitment to service to the citizens of Armstrong County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

Pschirer shared the letter on Twitter.

“Got the mail today and thought I was in trouble,” Pschirer tweeted. “Kind hearts help kind hearts.”

The tweet had nearly 50 likes as of Wednesday morning.

Got the mail today and thought I was in trouble...kind hearts help kind hearts pic.twitter.com/5QDm0ZyQSp

— Dan Pschirer (@SHSHealth10) September 29, 2020

Pschirer doesn’t know how Maurer found him. The only thing he can think is that Maurer ran his license plate.

“I thought that was very touching for him to take the time to do that,” Pschirer said.

Maurer declined to say how he tracked down Pschirer other than through “investigative means.”

He said he felt compelled to send the thank-you letter because he wasn’t able to thank him in person.

“During these times we never really get good things done for us,” Maurer said. “It was just refreshing that someone did something nice for me on a day where I wasn’t expecting it.”

Pschirer said there has been a lot of negativity involving police officers circulating on social media, and he wanted to show his appreciation for everything they do. He also wanted to show his sons what it means to be kind. He hopes they do kind acts of their own.

“This is nothing political. I’ve just always been taught to treat people with respect,” Pschirer said. “The officers are out there putting their lives on the line for us. The least someone can do is pay for a meal.”

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