By Kali O'Rourke
DES MOINES, IA (RNN) - In the spirit of the holidays, two reserve sheriff’s deputies decided to buy Christmas gifts for a mother and her two children after realizing the woman they’d pulled over was in need.
When Jasper County Sheriff’s Reserve Deputies Rod Eilander and Nathan Popenhagan pulled a woman over for not having license plates on her truck, they asked her if she was ready for Christmas as a way of making small talk, according to KCCI.
But the woman, a mother of two, said she wasn’t ready because she didn’t have any money to spare.
"She was on her way to borrow $10 from a friend, so she could get dinner for her kids, as she didn't get paid until Friday," Eilander told KCCI.
The deputies decided then and there they would buy the family presents. They took the mother to Walmart, where she picked out a football, a backpack, a bucket of slime and some earrings for her son and daughter.
The deputies spent almost $150 helping the family out, KCCI reports. Other shoppers got in on the act of kindness, too, with one giving her a $50 gift card and two others giving her $20 in cash.
After the shopping spree, the deputies gave the mother another $20 for dinner and took her to the sheriff’s office, where she picked out four bags of donated clothing.
"My heart is full tonight being with the ones I love and to spread the holiday cheer to others less fortunate than me," Eilander said.
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