Mass. cop helps homeless woman survive snowstorm

A police officer in the Massachusetts town of Seekonk is being praised as a “class act” after buying groceries for a homeless woman and helping her get a hotel room to weather a snowstorm.

Officer Keith Perry was responding to a call about a woman in distress on Sunday night, when he learned that she was homeless and had not eaten “in a while,” according to the Seekonk Police Department. With a winter storm approaching, Perry decided to buy the woman some groceries and help her find a hotel.

Perry paid for the food himself, while the woman’s distant relative sprung for the hotel room, Sergeant Eric Chalifoux of Seekonk PD told the Sun-Chronicle, the local newspaper.

The department praised Officer Perry as a “class act” and an example of public service, sharing photos from the grocery store on Facebook – while keeping the woman’s face hidden to protect her privacy.

The post had over 17,000 likes and 5,000 shares by Monday morning.

Perry’s actions earned him praise from other police departments as well.

Seekonk is a city of some 14,000 people in south-central Massachusetts, just across the border from Providence, Rhode Island.

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This area of New England is under a weather advisory due to heavy snow, with expected accumulations up to 10 inches (25 cm) and winds gusting up to 45 miles per hour (72 km/h). The storm is projected to last until Monday evening, triggering school and office closures.