An officer who lived close to the residence where the call had been traced was requested to go investigate when a small child called 911 without saying anything.
She had just put her youngest child to bed at around 9:30 p.m. when she received the call from the boy.
An 8-year-old boy opened the door after arriving at the house. He didn’t appear to be in any kind of danger. Most importantly, the place was tidy and clean despite being quite sparse. He and his younger sister were present.
The youngster identified himself as Mateo and said that he and his siter were hungry, which is why he had called 911. There was no adult around, and they were all alone.
The investigator discovered after questioning them that the mother of the children had two jobs and was clearly having financial difficulties.
Mateo claimed that while their mother was at work, he looked after his sister, Sophia. They normally had a few items in the refrigerator, but this time there were just a few ketchup packets and a jug of milk.
After the police phoned backup and explained the situation, services quickly arrived at the residence, and Rosa, a paramedic, brought sandwiches for the children.
The officer located the mother of the children, who was employed at Joe’s Diner, before notifying social services.
She was informed that the children were famished but otherwise fine.
The poor woman was in a bad mood. She was clearly a loving mother who had to put in a lot of overtime to support her family.
Rosa and the officer continued to think about Mateo and Sophia in the days ahead.
When Rosa visited the officer one day, she informed her that she had an idea to launch a project that would bring together paramedics, officers, and community people to support families in need. The Midnight Meals project proved to be a great success.
Volunteers provided food and toiletries to the community’s most disadvantaged people every Friday night.
The reaction was tremendous. Teenagers gave their valuable time, grocery businesses provided canned food, and teachers donated books and school materials.
Rosa and the policeman made the decision to deliver the items themselves one evening. When they arrived to Mateo and Sophia’s house, things appeared different. There were more decorations, more food, and more furniture.
As his mother praised the two women for everything they had done for her family, Mateo recognized them right away.
Mateo was thrilled to get a brand-new knapsack from Rosa that was loaded with school supplies.
The two women considered the reasons for their career choices after realizing the powerful impact of their tiny act of kindness.
