Generous Cop Rallies Community To Help 6-Year-Old Who Lost Her Mom On Christmas Day

What these cops did for this little girl who lost her mom will have you in tears.

If you’ve yet to have your first cry of 2016, this story about a generous team of police officers and firefighters just might be it. Some California first-responders have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help a little girl who lost her mom on Christmas day.

According to Today.com, the Livermore police were called after a 39-year-old mom was found unresponsive at a hotel on December 25. The mom was diabetic and facing a medical emergency related to her condition. She was transported to the hospital, where she later passed away, and police and firefighters came to the aid of her six-year-old daughter, who told them, “Santa didn’t come because my mom wouldn’t wake up.”

The girl was placed with a foster family until her grandma from Florida could pick her up, but Officer Dave Morris told Today he just couldn’t stop thinking about her loss and the sad way her Christmas morning was stolen from her. He said, “I couldn’t sleep. It was rough, so I called our dispatch center and said, ‘Hey, listen, I’ve got an idea. I’d like to do something nice for this little girl… We’ll all donate a gift and we’ll give this little girl a Christmas.'”

Together with other officers and the local fire department, Morris was able to provide a truck full of gifts, clothes, and donations to the child. They visited her at her temporary residence and told her Santa had made a mistake and accidentally visited the wrong room at the hotel. Said Morris, “Her eyes just — boom, BOOM — lit up. She’s standing in the middle of the kitchen and was like, ‘Oh, my God! I’m so excited!'”

Here’s a video of the girl’s Christmas surprise from the Livermore Police Facebook page:

The officers set up a GoFundMe for the girl, and at the time of this writing, it’s almost up to $30,000. Morris tells Today the money will be used to start a trust fund or college fund for the child. He also said the Livermore Police Association is offering to make yearly donations on her behalf.

What happened to this little girl is absolutely tragic, but the way the community has rallied around her is nothing short of inspiring. It’s a good reminder that even in the face of terrible circumstances, we can do things to help our fellow man and ease each other’s burdens. This little girl can never get her mom back, but hopefully in some way she still feels surrounded by love and knows that she is never, ever alone. Kudos to these officers, firefighters, and everyone who’s donated for setting such an amazing example of how to care for one another in unimaginably hard times.