ATHENS, Ga.  A church youth group attempting a "random act of kindness" caused quite a stir at city hall, according to The Associated Press.
The Athens-Clarke police bomb squad was called in after a city employee reported seeing a suspicious package inside a decorative cannon outside the government building.
The package turned out to be taffy and Jolly Rancher hard candies with a tag that read, "Random act of kindness," the church group left for someone to find.
Rather than blessing the finder, the package caused the building to be evacuated and cordoned off for two hours. The bomb squad used a robot to remove the package and then blew it up with a shotgun, according to the news service.
The box of candy was one of several that middle school-aged church members planted in the downtown area as part of an exercise in altruism, explained Tara Bulger, youth director for First Presbyterian Church of Athens.
"We take full responsibility for this," Bulger said. "I just thought it was a good way for the children to put some kindness into the community."
Now the event will be used to teach her students a different lesson.
"We'll talk with the children about how things don't always turn out like they're planned," she said.
