Hillsborough deputy caught sharing lunch with homeless man
TAMPA (FOX 13) - A group of Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office motorcycle deputies stopped Monday to help a man they said seemed unwell.
Deputy Linda Ruggiero said the man she later discovered was homeless looked like he might need help, so she and her fellow deputies stopped to talk with him.
Detective Larry McKinnon told FOX 13, Deputy Ruggiero asked the man if he was okay. He replied he was hungry and really needed some help.
Deputy Ruggeiro, who McKinnon said always carries snacks and her lunch with her while on patrol, offered the man an energy bar, which he took and ate while deputies organized for the man enter a treatment center for further care.
The sheriff's office posted the photo of Deputy Ruggiero with the man on its Facebook page.
McKinnon explained the sheriff's office has an ongoing commitment to helping people get and stay off the streets of Hillsborough County.
The HCSO Homeless Initiative - made up of volunteers and sheriff's office employees - helps people get proper identification, track down family, find permanent housing and more. The organization's Facebook page is filled with stories of people who chose to ask for help and get back on their feet.
McKinnon said that's when HCSO Homeless Initiative workers step in to help those who want the help get where they aim to go.
Anthony needs a job. Anthony is not homeless but on the fringe, currently living out of a motel room with his wife,...