Officer presents bike to homeless man who walks 5 hours to work daily

Officer presents bike to homeless man who walks 5 hours to work daily

(Roeland Park Police Department)


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

MISSION, Kansas — When a Kansas police officer responded to a call about a suspicious person in a park, he never thought he'd be inspired by an unlikely friend.

Samuel Meixueiro is a little rough around the edges, but is willing to go to great lengths to get an apartment of his own, according to ABC News. He's so determined, he walks five hours each day from the church where he is staying to his job at a liquor store a few cities over.

"Sometimes I have to sleep outside because I want to keep my job," Meixueiro told WDAF News. "That's just how it is."

Last week, Meixueiro was taking a rest from his commute at a local park when Roeland Park police Officer Zach Stamper approached him and asked him what he was doing there. Meixueiro explained his situation to Stamper, who was immediately touched by his story.

"I felt for the guy," Stamper told ABC. "My commute, I get in my vehicle and drive to work. It's five minutes. This guy, his job means everything to him… I thought, OK, let's try to get this guy some help."

Stamper gave Meixueiro a lift to work, but their story doesn't end there. Stamper went home and found a duffel bag to give to Meixueiro, since he noticed the bag he'd been carrying with him had a broken zipper, ABC reports.

He drove back to the liquor store and presented Meixueiro with the bag.

"I said, 'You're trying to make the best out of a bad situation that you're in, and I respect that,'" Stamper told ABC.

But he couldn't stop thinking about his new friend. When he returned to work at the police station, he explained the situation to his chief, who suggested that he take one of the bikes the city had on hand that had either been abandoned or surrendered and give it to Meixueiro to help ease his commute.

Stamper cleaned the bike and put air in the tires, and returned to Meixueiro's work to surprise him.

Read more like this
Uplifting section
Read more stories that aim to uplift and highlight the good in the world in KSL.com's Uplifting section.

"I cried," Meixueiro told WDAF. "I couldn't believe it. Things are so hard for me right now. Any kind of help is just a blessing."

Stamper says he was the one who feels lucky to have come across Meixueiro that day in the park.

"It made my day," he said. "It made my career."

The newfound friendship looks to be a lasting one — the two men exchanged information and say they plan to stay in touch, WDAF reports.

This is the second time in months that the Roeland Park Police Department has made headlines for good. In July, an officer who caught a mother of six stealing diapers from Walmart spent hundreds of dollars out of his own pocket to purchase the diapers and shoes for her.

Most recent Uplifting stories

Related topics

Uplifting
Jessica Ivins

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast