Instead of writing a citation, two Cleveland Police officers driving by a panhandler on the city's east side gave the family food instead.
It happened late Monday night, when Fifth District patrol officers Nicole Corea and Scott Eubanks saw the woman panhandling near I-90 and E. 152nd St.
When they stopped to speak with her, she told them she just needed food for her two children, aged 9 and 11.
So the pair called their supervisor, Sgt. Tim Maffo-Judd, who directed them to St. Herman's, a non-profit food pantry on W. 44th and Franklin.
Volunteers at St. Herman's quickly gathered food and were able to deliver it to the family.
"They took the initative to come and talk to her, just 'Hey, how are you, what's going on?'" Sgt. Maffo-Judd said. "Sometimes that's all it takes."
Citations for panhandling in Cleveland can cost upwards of $200.
