The spirit of the holiday season showed up to make a difference, one customer at a time, after burglars broke into a Bronzeville ice cream store on the South Side of Chicago.

When Nataki Muhammad and her husband Yahya Muhammad arrived at Shawn Michelle's Homemade Ice Cream on Thursday morning, they found the glass door broken at their storefront at 46 E. 47th St. in the Rosenwald Courts apartment building.

Police said, shortly before 3 a.m., burglars broke in and stole the cash register.

"They took the whole cash drawer and two safes," Nataki said.

One day earlier, burglars hit five businesses in nearby Hyde Park, with thieves breaking through glass doors and running in to steal money from registers.

Police haven't said if the burglars responsible for the break-ins in Hyde Park also hit the Bronzeville ice cream shop the Muhammads have owned for 5 ½ years.

The business is named after Muhammad's sister-in-law. She was killed in a car accident in 1999. The shop is a tribute to the avid baker, whose recipes are enjoyed at Shawn Michelle's

"We're thankful for the community. We're thankful for all the phone calls, the text messages, and all the support," Nataki said. "It's not just us that's being affected. It's our team that's being affected, but our customers have showed up and showed out today."

While the Grinch might have stolen about $200 from the ice cream shop, a good Samaritan definitely brought some holiday cheer.

One by one, about 100 students from Phillips High School visited Shawn Michelle's on Thursday. They arrived by chartered bus to enjoy a serving of ice cream, a treat provided by South Side real estate developer and family friend, Jemal King.

"I felt it in my heart, because Yahya and Nataki, they've been in this community for years, and this is our community," King said. "I seen the blood, sweat, and tears that both of them put into this community. And anytime you have things like this that takes place, you have to fight fire with fire."

Yahya said the Muhammads will continue serving their community.

"We just got a return of the love that we've poured out," he said.

Shattered glass didn't crack the spirit of Shawn Michelle's Homemade Ice Cream. It just made the business even stronger.