Eustis police help get family with 7 children off the streets, provide Christmas for kids
EUSTIS, Fla. - A homeless family were just given a Christmas they won't forget thanks to the Eustis Police Department.
“I’m really grateful, because I really didn’t know what (my kids) were going to get for Christmas or if they were going to, or if they were going to have a Christmas," Sheneka Roberts said. "So, I was thankful that they did get something.”
On Dec. 11, Eustis Police Officer Stroup came across the McCoy family, who were all living in an abandoned SeaCoast Bank on U.S. Highway 441. The family is big with seven children ranging in ages from a newborn to eight-years-old.
Officer Stroup's heart went out to them and he donated items to the family to help them -- but it wasn’t enough. So he hatched a plan to get the family off the streets and enlisted the help of his fellow officers, Officer Brown, and Chief Calhoun.
"Saint Mary’s Church in Eustis, along with the Eustis Chamber of Commerce, provided a generous donation for the family and Dr. Dorothy Hooks from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office helped us locate a temporary place for the family to stay," the police department wrote on Facebook.
But that wasn't all.
The Eustis Police Department and Saint Mary’s Church wanted to make sure the children had presents for Christmas, so the department donated toys for all the children!
"A big thank you to everyone involved who helped this family have a happy Christmas."