A Connecticut couple who lost their baby boy to cancer marked his second birthday by buying dinner for a family of strangers celebrating the birthday of their own young son. Now the restaurant where it happened wants to keep the acts of kindness going.

First & Last Taverns in Avon, Plainville and Glastonbury decided to honor the memory of 17-month-old Luke Dunn, who died of cancer, with a pay-it-forward effort of their own after witnessing what they called a "beautiful act of kindness" on Saturday.

A Connecticut couple who lost their baby boy to cancer marked his second birthday by buying dinner for a family of strangers celebrating the birthday of their own young son.

Saturday would have been Luke's birthday and his parents, Shane and MaryJo Dunn, wanted to celebrate it by performing an act of kindness to keep his spirit alive.

What they did was give a $50 gift card to family dining at First & Last Restaurant in Glastonbury with a little boy who looked to be around Luke's age.

The Dunns left before the family could thank them for their generosity and read the card they left behind, which described Luke's journey and asked the family to pay it forward in his memory.

The recipients — who were out that night to celebrate their own son's third birthday — were nearly in tears.

Then, they purchased a gift card of their own to buy dinner for another family, according to restaurant manager Max Rickis.

MaryJo Dunn said the restaurant reached out to her about the pay-it-forward effort and she is honored that her son is being remembered in such a positive way.

First & Last shared the details about the effort on their website.

"We were so touched by what happened we decided we didn't want this selfless act to end there. That's why we started our Pay It Forward Program. At our restaurants we are fortunate enough to be a community gathering place. We feel that we see the best people walk through our doors, and our Pay It Forward Program is a great way for us to give back. #FNLPAYITFORWARD," the First & Last in Glastonbury posted on its website.

The restaurants have posted nomination forms on their websites and will pick one recipient per week.

They will keep the nominations anonymous, but will reach out to the people who made the chosen nominations.

Here are the links:

Avon First & Last

Glastonbury First & Last.

Plainville First & Last