PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. -- A photo of a Pierce County sheriff's deputy giving his lunch to a homeless man has been shared over 10,000 times on Facebook.
At first glance it doesn't look like much, but something about the sheriff's cruiser on the side of the road and the two men having lunch caught the eye of Darren Ballard, Sr.
"I look over and there's an officer in uniform, sitting on the grass, sitting with a homeless guy sharing a sandwich and I was just blown away" Ballard explained.
Ballard took the photo as he was driving near SR 512 on Tuesday and put it on Facebook. Thousands of others shared it.
"To sit there and get personal with him on a level, he's just being friendly. It's awesome," Ballard said.
James Haynes is the other man in the photo, the one not wearing a uniform.
"Sometimes we talk for hours, sometimes we talk for 10 minutes" Haynes explained.
He says the two have known each other for about a year and this isn't the first time Deputy Mike Huffman shared a sandwich with him.
"He takes time out of his day to talk and if he gets a call, he'll run and take it," Haynes said.
Haynes says he's grateful for the food, but many times the conversation means so much more.
"He smiles all the time and makes me laugh," said Haynes. "It's very depressing out here."
With so much negative attention surrounding police across the country, the photo has become a symbol.
"It meant a lot to me for everyone to see this image because there are awesome police officers out there and they don't get enough credit," Ballard said.
Deputy Mike Huffman declined to comment for the story. A sheriff's representative told KING 5 News that he doesn't want any attention for his good deed.