Advertisement

R.I. Police Officer Buys Groceries for Elderly Woman and Disabled Son amid Coronavirus Pandemic

A Rhode Island police officer is doing her part to help those in need during the coronavirus pandemic.

When the Warick Police Department received a call on Friday that an 87-year-old woman and her disabled son were at home without food, Officer Jill Marshall was quick to step up and offer assistance, according to CNN.

West Bay Community action, a service organization, contacted the police explaining that they were unable to help the elderly woman get groceries until Monday, the Warwick Police Department shared on Facebook.

The following day, Officer Marshall, who works in the Community Services Division, conducted a welfare check on the family, asked for her grocery list and volunteered to do the shopping for the woman, her son and their cat.

Marshall told CNN that several people offered to help pay for groceries during her trip to the local store.

The supermarket covered $25 of the groceries and other customers donated enough money to pay for $100 worth of food.

RELATED: N.C. Woman Inspired by Grandfather Does Grocery Runs for Elderly Neighbors amid Coronavirus

“I was ready to use my own money to help them but the generosity of those shopping and Shaw’s [the grocery store] paid for her list. I would have never left them and make them wait for food. That’s just not humane,” Marshall said.

The officer added that she felt “grateful and appreciative for those who overheard me and just pulled out their wallet to help.”

RELATED: See How People Around the World Are Coping During the Coronavirus Outbreak

According to the police department’s Facebook post, “the officer was able to return with everything in the list.”

Marshall added, “When I saw how happy and relieved [the elderly woman] and her son were it truly made my night. I can’t express how good that felt.”

As of March 29, there have been at least 125,903 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., and 2,149 deaths, according to a New York Times database. The U.S. now has the highest number of cases worldwide.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments and visit our coronavirus hub.