(NewsNation Now) — The gift of giving came early this holiday season for a Kansas woman. Deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office along with members of the community teamed up to buy a car for the mother of two after learning she had been walking six miles each way for her job.
The deputies surprised the 24-year-old woman with a van Wednesday; she was instantly overcome with emotion.
“Oh my God, I love it!” she said, crying after getting into her new car.
Over the last two weeks, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office received several calls about a woman walking on 59 Highway between Ottawa and Princeton in the early morning. Each time, deputies responded to the area and gave the woman a ride to work.
“Throughout these contacts with her, the Sheriff’s Office learned this woman walked to work at Love’s Truck Stop six miles (and then six miles back home) to support her two small children. The woman made several comments about how she had to walk so she could feed her children and was very driven and motivated to take care of her family any way she could,” the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department wrote in a statement.
After several encounters with the woman, a group of deputies gathered to brainstorm how to help her. After a few days, through the generosity of local residents and businesses along with the sheriff’s department’s ‘No Shave November’ funds, they were able to donate the van, two new car seats, a gift card, the van registration and the first year of auto insurance along with $200.
“I am very proud of the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office. This is not just something they did, this shows who they are. I am proud of who they are! This is an example of their commitment to serve our community. Sgt. Jesse Vega and his patrol team saw a need and worked to fill it.,” said Sheriff Richards, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. “Working with other members of the Sheriff’s Office and community members, they were able to bless someone in a way that words cannot express.”