Being a parent is a huge responsibility, and it’s much more challenging when times are rough, particularly financially. In some cases, adults may be fortunate enough to have relatives to help them through difficult times, but in others, they may not be so fortunate. Unfortunately for a Michigan mother of twin daughters, she fell into the latter category. That is until her neighborhood came together and gave her the help she needed.

A kind police sergeant made a significant impact in the lives of a single mother and her two twin girls in 2017. Hayden and Abbigale Harrison are Erin Harrison’s twin daughters. WXYZ-TV Detroit says that the family lives in the small Michigan town of Walled Lake.

Sergeant Heather Kolke was simply going about her business while patrolling the city when Harrison approached her. “She started asking me legal questions,” Sgt. Kolke told the news outlet, and it wasn’t long before Harrison questioned if it was legal for her to sleep in her car with her girls, which clearly rang off alarm bells in Sgt. Kolke’s brain.

The officer began questioning the family to discover more about their condition. She later discovered that Harrison had recently been evicted for failing to make her rent payments. She had worked at a fast-food restaurant for four years, but the salary was insufficient to cover her expenses.

Sgt. Kolke, who is a mother herself, was moved by Harrison’s tale and realized she had to do something to assist.

Make sure you read all the way to the end to view the whole video.

Harrison was desperate, and she reasoned that she could remain in her car with her daughters until she could gather enough money to get them back on their feet. Until then, she intended to park her car near Walled Lake Elementary School in order to simply drop the kids off at school.

Sgt. Kolke wanted to help them since she was a fellow mother. She sprang into action and even enlisted the assistance of the community.

Sgt. Kolke solicited funds for the Harrison family in order to place them in a motel and keep them off the streets. That Saturday also happened to be Hayden and Abbigale’s ninth birthdays, so Sgt. Kolke was able to gather some more money so that the two girls could appropriately celebrate.

The unselfish motive of the police officer to assist the Harrison family even spurred the mayor of Walled Lake to ask the community on the local news if they might get together to think of a long-term solution for them. A man was watching the news with his children and inquired whether his family could help in any way. Eddie Osram, the father, is a local business entrepreneur who runs the Marathon shop in town. He told WXYZ-TV Detroit about his family’s desire to assist:

“At that point, I replied, ‘Let me see what I can accomplish.'”

Osram quickly contacted other local business entrepreneurs to see if they could assist as well. “A number of them, they said ‘whatever it takes,'” he told WXYZ-TV Detroit. The community came together to assist the family with clothes, home products, and other necessities. Over $2,500 was collected in total, with one nice stranger offering to take the twins shopping for new clothes and goods they’ll need until they find a new home.

One resident wanted to help since he had been in a similar circumstance as a child. He told a local television station:

“I come from a similar background, and I mean, I wouldn’t be where I am now without aid.”

Meanwhile, Osram’s children wished to send $341 from their allowance funds to Harrison’s twin sisters. Osram stated

“Whenever we need support, we all get together to help each other.”

Harrison received so much love and support from her community that she was at a loss for words. She told the news source, “It breaks my heart to know that there are people out there who care.” She said she’d use the money to move her and her family into a house, and she couldn’t be more grateful. She continued, saying:

“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart; being able to travel anywhere means everything to my daughters.”

This tale serves as a reminder that we never completely know another person’s position and that simple acts of kindness may build up to dramatically improve someone’s life.