Arapahoe County Sheriff's deputy buys groceries for great grandmother, children in need
Deputies never know what they'll find behind closed doors, or in this case, closed pantries. Hearts and bellies are full after an Arapahoe County Sheriff's deputy took "protect and serve" to another level.
ACSO deputies responded to a domestic dispute between Vicki Greene and her boyfriend. The quarrel began at home, where she raises two great-grandchildren under 10.
Vicki, 71, told deputies the argument started because her "babies were hungry."
Deputies say her boyfriend had cooked their last two hot dogs and made the kids watch him eat. They went to bed hungry.
The argument escalated and he called 911. When deputies arrived, they found Vicki's story more credible and asked the boyfriend to leave.
Deputy Ryan Weiner saw how scarce her cabinets were.
"She showed me the food basket up top of her fridge and it had a little bit of snacks in it but not a lot," said Weiner. "Nothing of real substance."
His body camera captured his conversation with Vicki.
"Here's the thing I'm most worried about, ma'am. I'm real worried about your kids not having any food," he's heard saying in footage.
He learned her social security check wouldn't arrive until the next week.
"A lot of times, I leave calls and I wish I could do more. In this call, there was something that I could do," Weiner said.
Weiner and his partner quickly made the switch from squad car to shopping cart.
The next time he saw Vicki, he had evidence bags full of groceries.
"I just thought it was really sweet when the kids were helping me unpack groceries. They were eating cheese sticks out of the bag. You could tell they were ready for some food," said Weiner.
A few items the deputy bought include peanut butter and jelly, juice, milk, bread, chicken, breakfast foods and hot dogs.
"She thanked me and she started to cry a little bit. I think she said she was embarrassed," said Weiner. "I definitely didn't want her to feel embarrassed. This was my gift to her."
Weiner's partner connected Vicki with a local food bank. They've been bringing her groceries ever since.
"Where we work in district five, there's so many people that have so many needs. It's so important to be able to connect people to resources," Weiner said. "It seemed like she was doing the best she could with what she had, and I just wanted to help."
