Chesapeake, Va. - When a Chesapeake police officer met a three-year-old little girl named Andrea, he decided to take action and change her life.
The two met inside a homeless shelter.
"We were in a bad situation and that put us on the street and we were on the streets for seven months," Marilyn Rigue told NewsChannel 3.
Andrea's parents had lost their jobs. The family was bouncing between living in their car, churches and shelters.
After a snowstorm this winter, the officer walked into an overcrowded shelter, and found the family of three sleeping on the floor.
"It was rough. Now that I`m thinking back it was really rough to be sleeping on mats. It`s hard," Rigue said.
He instantly clicked with the little girl, and made a Facebook post asking anyone to donate to the family.
And in the meantime, he and a couple other officers offered to put them up in a hotel at an In-Town Suites.
"My back appreciates it the most because sleeping in a bed is better than sleeping in a van. They`re our heroes," she said.
Out of their own pockets, the cops have been paying for the family to stay there for the past two months.
"I`m finally getting a good night's sleep at night. My daughter is warm. I don`t have to worry so much," Rigue added.
And that's not all. They've also helped Andrea's father get a new job, and enrolled the little girl in pre-school.
"It`s like a place where she can play for two hours with kids. As a matter of fact, today she is going to start with ballet lessons and the police department has been helping with that, too," she said.
And not one of the police officers want any credit for their good deeds, as they all wish to remain anonymous.
"If the police officers were here, I would say thank you, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. You got me off the street," Rigue said.
