Mom Cries Unable to Afford Kids’ School Supplies until Cops Appear on Her Doorstep with Boxes — Story of the Day

A poor widowed mother who could not afford new school supplies for her kids is startled when cops unexpectedly arrive on her doorstep with several boxes.

Almost everyone in Mary's neighborhood was busy getting things ready for their children's new school year.

"Hey, Mary, do you wanna go shopping with us? We're going to get some school supplies for our kids," Mary heard one of her neighbors, Mrs. Dawson, say as she waved at her.

Mary hesitated. She didn't have enough money for school supplies, forced to keep the little money she had for the week's groceries. "No, Mrs. Dawson. I can't afford to buy them this time. I don't have enough money, but thanks for asking!" she replied.

"Jesus! I'm sorry to hear that, Mary. But don't worry...This too shall pass someday!" said Mrs. Dawson as she took off with the other women.

It ripped Mary's heart and made her cry thinking her 9-year-old and 7-year-old, Simon and Melissa, would be going to school in two days without the necessary supplies...

"How am I going to tell them that I can't afford everything they listed down?" she sobbed silently, staring outside. "Peter, why did you leave us like this?"

"Officer, what is going on? And what are these boxes for?" the mother anxiously asked the cop.

Peter was Mary's late husband, who died six months earlier on his way home from the factory he worked. The family was already struggling, and Peter's salary contributed significantly to making ends meet.

After his untimely death, Mary was pushed to the extreme of misfortune and had to fight her best to raise her children. Her sorrow doubled when she had to quit waitressing due to health issues. She focused on her household, and her savings were completely drained.

Tears streamed down Mary's face as she blamed fate for how things turned out in her life. Then a faint voice interrupted her from behind.

"Mama, school starts in two days, and we haven't bought anything yet," said Simon. "Will we go shopping at least today?"

Mary didn't know what to say. "Sweetheart, I'll try to do something. Please give me some time," she replied, hiding her tears.

"But mom, you told us the same thing last week," added Melissa. "We don't have notebooks and other supplies. And we were given a whole list of items to take to art class. What do we do now? We have two days left."

The more her children questioned her, the more Mary felt hurt and lost.

"Honey, I said I'll do something," she said again. But Simon and Melissa were disappointed. They mumbled and walked away, certain their mom would still do nothing.

Mary was crushed and decided to do something. She wiped away her tears and picked up her phone, giving it her last shot by calling someone she knew for help.

"Hey, Salma, hi! How are you?" she asked. Salma was a friend she had waitressed with six months ago.

"I'm good, Mary! How are you? I'm glad to hear from you after a long time. So, how is everything? Did you find a new job?"

"Not really. I shouldn't have quit that job, but I had no choice because I had to attend Peter's funeral. And my health was deteriorating. His parents already had problems with me, and I didn't want them to criticize me again."

"Yeah, you told me about your in-laws. Did they visit you after that?"

"No... What can I expect? They were already angry with me for marrying their son against their wishes. And now that he's gone, they're constantly accusing me, saying I took him away from them..."

Mary felt a little light talking to her friend, although her main motive behind the call was to ask for some money. However, she decided against it and just hung up after their casual conversation.

At that point, Mary had no idea who else to ask.

"Mom, dad, I know you're watching me struggle from heaven. Your grandchildren need help with just basic school supplies, and I'm not even able to afford them that much. I've run out of savings. Please make some miracle happen," Mary cried, looking up at the sky from her window.

Shortly after, she heard loud sirens, and a couple of police cars stopped in front of her house.

"Why are the cops here?" she shrieked, hurrying outside to find out.

A weird feeling of fear and curiosity crawled into Mary's nerves as one of the officers got down from the car and approached her.

"God, I hope nothing's wrong. Why is she coming this way?" Mary mumbled anxiously.

"Mrs. Parker?"

"Yes, officer. It's me. What happened?"

"Your husband died six months ago, right?"

"Why, yes. We moved here just recently after that. Is anything wrong?"

"No, ma'am, not really. We just came here to give you something."

"Give me something? What is it?" Mary grew suspicious as the officer gestured for her fellow cops to bring something over.

By this point, Mary's gut began to churn with fear and anxiety. Her neighbors flocked around her house, murmuring things.

"Careful. Where are the rest of them?" the officer asked one of the cops. Mary was bewildered and kept watching, unable to see what was in the heavy boxes they unloaded from the vehicles.

"Officer, what's going on? And what are these boxes for?" Mary asked.

"Mrs. Parker, we are pleased to gift your kids school supplies they would need for the next five years!" replied the officer, jolting Mary.

"What?!" she exclaimed. "School supplies for my kids? But how did you know that they needed them?"

"Well, since you're new to this part of town, you must be unaware of our little tradition," spoke the officer, brewing the elated mother's curiosity.

"Tradition? What do you mean?"

"Mrs. Parker, we pick the most underprivileged families in this neighborhood every year and help them with certain things. This time, we chose to help your kids after your neighbor, Mrs. Dawson, informed us about your husband's death and your current financial crisis."

As it turned out, when Mrs. Dawson learned of Mary's misery that morning, she informed the cops, prompting them to pick Mary and her kids as this year's beneficiaries of the police force.

Mary could not believe her eyes. She looked around and saw Mrs. Dawson emerge from the crowd, smiling.

"Mrs. Dawson! I don't know how to thank you," she cried. "Thank you so much. You made my day today! This means a lot!"

"I hope this helps, Mary! As I said, this too shall pass someday!" exclaimed Mrs. Dawson before walking away, leaving a delighted Mary to shed tears of joy.

"And Mrs. Parker, we would also like you to attend an interview here. This is a small company in town, and they're hiring a receptionist. The boss is my friend. Maybe I could refer you there!" the officer said, adding more shades of joy to Mary's teary eyes.

"Thank you so much, officer! It really means a lot," she cried joyfully.

The incident gave the poor mother a fresh breath of hope. Meanwhile, Simon and Melissa were so happy to see the boxes full of school supplies!

What can we learn from this story?

• Never hesitate to help someone in need. Your little deed of kindness can bring better days to them. When Mrs. Dawson learned of Mary's misfortune and struggles, she teamed up with the cops to help her get free school supplies for her kids. The kind woman's compassion also fetched Mary a new job to make her life much easier.
• Believe in miracles because you may never know how one could change your life from bad to better. When Mary could not afford new school supplies for her kids, she begged her late parents for a miracle. Moments later, she got what she asked for when cops arrived with huge cartons of school supplies on her doorstep.

A grandma left alone to care for her grandchild gets a surprise visit from her neighbors, who end up doing something astonishing for her. Click here to read the full story.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.