By: Jenny Brown/Shareably) Robert Wood and his family were settling in for the night. He put one of his young sons on his chest as his pregnant wife, Heather put the other on top of her. They were sleeping in their parked car out in the cold Oregon winter. Having recently returned to his native Eugene, Oregon from Alaska, Wood and his family had yet to find housing, resorting to these measures to save money. An officer found them around 10:30 pm and Wood began dreading their exchange.
The officer, Police Lt. David Natt, soon showed them there was no need to worry. He was there to help them and very promptly offered to spring for a hotel room so the family could come in from the cold. Wood very nearly refused the offer twice, not wanting “to be a take” but Wood said, “[Officer Natt] took away the shame and let me know that he’s just a person, I’m just a person and things like this happen.”
“Any of us could be right where they’re at,” said Natt. “It doesn’t take much. And like I told him, you give him an opportunity to gain a bit of time. A little bit of time is so valuable, and it’s so meaningful to them.”
Watch the touching interview below.
