It’s not all that uncommon to see people digging through trash to find cans they can redeem for money. For people short on cash, it can often be the difference between going hungry and having a warm meal.
One morning when Jenny Crider left her complex to check her mail, she spotted a man she had seen before taking bottles and cans from the big trash cans. Round about the same time, she saw a police officer of Mesa, Arizona, pulling up in his car.
After watching the encounter between the two of them, she decided it would be a good idea to start taking pictures. She could have never expected to capture what she did …
Jenny had a feeling that the man going through the trash was about to land himself in difficulty. As per reports, she said: “I honestly thought he was going to ask him to leave and stop going through the trash.”
Who can blame her?
Jenny worried for the man, as he looked like the type of person who needed a helping hand, rather than a run in with the law.
However, when she returned from collecting her mail, she stumbled upon a surprising scene.
The officer who had approached the man was Kent Green, a 28-year-old who has served in the force for eight years. An ultramarathon runner in his free time, Green chose not to write the man a ticket, or even give him a stern telling off.
Instead, as per Runner’s World, he was actually concerned for the man’s safety. After asking him to step away from the bin, he noticed that the man’s shoes were old and worn, and, seen as though he clocks an incredible 70 to 80 miles a week during intense training periods, he knows a thing or two when it comes to beat-up sneakers.
As a gesture of good will, Officer Green went to his car and retrieved one of his more worn pairs of shoes. He offered them to the man, who gladly accepted the gift. Fortunately, the exchange was documented by Jenny.
She took to Facebook to share what she had seen, praising Mesa for having such wonderful police offers, and saying that Green had ‘given her hope’.
She wrote: “When I came back home from getting the mail, the officer had brought out a nice, new pair of shoes to give to the man. It’s the simple, Christlike acts like this that give me hope in this world. Thank you Mesa Police for having such wonderful officers patrol the area!”
Furthermore, apparently this isn’t the first time Officer Green has given away an old pair of shoes to someone in need. Though he likes to keep it under the radar, according to Runner’s World he always looks to ensure people aren’t walking bare feet in the hot Arizona summer.
I don’t know about you, but I think Officer Green is one hell of a guy. Thanks to Jenny capturing and sharing the encounter she witnessed, the world can enjoy a little positivity.
Please share this story and let’s help Officer Green get the credit he deserves!
