Kind-hearted cop buys a cart load of groceries for a hungry family after spotting a young child trying to get snacks alone at a corner shop

• Officer James Riley, of Austin, was flagged to a young boy walking alone to a corner store by a concerned citizen
• The young child said he was trying to get snacks for a younger sibling
• Concerned the officer drove the child home, and found that the family was going through a ‘financially difficult’ time and needed food
• Officer Riley then went to the nearby H-E-B grocery store to buy a full cart of food for the family, including plenty of snacks for the kids 
• ‘He bought a basket full of groceries and snacks that the boys would be able to fix without turning on the gas stove,’  the Austin police department shared
• The cop is being hailed a hero in his community for the good deed  

By DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 11:32 EDT, 11 June 2019

A Good Samaritan cop went above and beyond duty when he saw a child in need and decided to buy groceries for his entire family.

Officer James Riley, of Austin, was flagged to a young boy walking alone to a corner store by a concerned citizen, and decided to give the child a ride home after learning he journeyed to the shop to get snacks for his younger sibling on June 3.

‘Concerned for the child’s safety, Officer Riley gave him a ride home,’ the Austin Police Department said in a Facebook post on his good deed.

Once inside the home he realized the family was going through a ‘financially difficult’ time and had little food

Officer James Riley, of Austin, Texas, is being hailed a hero for buying a shopping cart full of food for a family struggling with their finances after he saw one of the young kids heading to a corner store alone to find snacks

‘He took it upon himself to go to H-E-B and bought a basket full of groceries and snacks that the boys would be able to fix without turning on the gas stove. He also got some things that a parent would be able to cook for them,’ police said.

‘He showed true heart with this act of kindness and is just one example of how our officers work to make Austin a safe community,’ cops added.

The police shared a picture of the shopping card filled with cereal, bread, meat, frozen meals, noodles and snacks for the kids to eat.

Now Officer Riley is being praised by his community for his honorable act of kindness.

‘Not only protecting the young citizens but serving God too. Well done Officer Riley!’ one Facebook user commented on the post.

‘Thank you for going above and beyond, especially for the youngest citizens of Austin,’ another added.

‘Thank you for being such a standup member of our community. Compassion is a beautiful gift to give. I’m sure you made a wonderful impression on those kids,’ a community member echoed.

‘This brought tear s to my eyes. Thank you, Officer Riley, for helping this family and inspiring others to do the same,’ another local added.