ALBERT LEA, Minn. - B & B Café in Albert Lea is donating half of the proceeds they received on Friday to the Mastson family. Waseca Police Officer, Arik Matson, who was shot in the line of duty nearly 3 weeks ago, is in critical, but stable condition. Officer Matson was once a deputy for Freeborn County.

As people walked through the doors, they shared fond memories of the officer. Kayla Christenson and her family attend church with the Matson family. "They are an absolute wonderful family," Kayla said. "Very kind, very caring. Great parents, great people in the community with the church." Two officers with the Albert Lea Police Department also showed up for him. "Arik is the nicest guy in the world," said Officer Tim Harves. "He'd give you the shirt off his back for anything. He's the first one there to help with anything when people need help."

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Other people who came to B & B Café didn't know Matson personally. But for some, the tragic incident hits close to home. I've got a brother that was a police officer, he's retired now, but that's part of the extended family, the bigger family," explained Kathy Green. "We all care and we want to be there for him even if we don't even know him. We're praying for his healing and we're praying for comfort for the family."

Earlier this week, Arik's wife and daughters visited the café. Owner, Holly Miller, said the love and support isn't going unnoticed. "When she was here, she was smiling, the girls were smiling," Miller said. "They need some of their normalcy, but they appreciate the support so much from our community."

Though some might say B & B Café is small, the room was full of hope and heart. "I've got chills. Lots of prayers and hugs from everyone here and we've just got a great community here," said B & B Café employee, Lindsay Blecker. Customers were handing in $100 bills on top of their checks to donate to the Matson family. Miller hopes others will see that when we come together, we can accomplish anything.

If you weren't able to go to B & B Café, you can still donate to their GoFundMe.