A police officer from Denver, Colorado in the USA, has won an award for an act of kindness, after buying groceries for a vulnerable woman.
It was a regular day, when officer Melissa Martin responded to a noise complaint at an apartment complex. However, after turning up to the apartment, Martin discovered a woman in need. Recently out of an abusive relationship, and in a new apartment, the woman suffered from substance abuse issues and mental illness, and had not eaten in four to five days.
Martin opened her refrigerator to find no food. The woman was older than her, making her question what would happen to her parents in a similar situation. She took it upon herself to fill the woman’s fridge with a week’s worth of groceries, using her own money to pay for them.
“I try really hard not to judge just try to help them in the situation that they find themselves,” she said. “If the world would just treat people like they would like be treated, how much of a difference might that make?”
The award was given by Citizens Appreciate Police, a non-profit that ‘recognizes Denver police officers that serve the public above the regular call of duty’.