Robb Elementary School is just a mile from his restaurant, and after 19 children and two teachers were killed there, Carlos Hernandez couldn't fire up his grill at first. But within hours, he gave more than 60 family-sized platters of fried fish, mac and cheese, and other Texas favorites to bereaved families, holding, grieving, and listening as neighbors cried, ate and then cried again. As he has done before, Patrick Johnson drove more than seven hours to give toys to children, restocking at Walmart each time he ran out. El Progreso Memorial Library offered books and other resources on grief and mourning, hope, inspiration and guidance, and established the Los Angelitos de Robb Memorial Book Fund to fund programs to help families heal, and donations are pouring in from across the US. In the town square, eight golden retrievers with vests reading 'please pet me' offer emotional support. "After traumatic events people don't want to deal with people, sometimes they just want that thing that they can touch, talk to without being judged," says Bonnie Fear of Lutheran Church Charities.

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