Photo Of State Trooper Sharing Meal With Homeless Mother Goes Viral

A trooper’s quiet act ended up getting the praise it deserved. 

A photo recently posted in a Fall River, Massachusetts, Facebook group by Jacob Morse shows State Trooper Luke Bonin sharing a meal with Lynn Murphy, a homeless mother of four.

According to a Massachusetts State Police Facebook post, Bonin spotted the woman on the side of the road after leaving court and proceeded to purchase food for the pair to enjoy together.

While he didn’t expect anyone to spot him in the generous act, the photo generated attention on social media, and eventually made it back to the state police. Needless to say, they are proud of the 35-year-old trooper’s compassion. 

“Trooper Bonin, we know you do not want or expect publicity. We know you didn’t want to be noticed, but you were, and the job is proud of you,” the state police’sFacebook post read. “We commend you for your selfless act, and for “doing the right thing” for someone less fortunate than most people.”

According to CBS Boston, Murphy said that when Bonin approached her, she thought she was in for some trouble and suspected that he’d cite her for panhandling. To her surprise, he presented her with a meal. And that’s not all he did. 

“I thought he was just going to hand me the meal but when he said, ‘Come around the back, it’s such a beautiful day, we’ll have a picnic,’ the mother told the outlet. “It touched my heart.” 

Though people across the Internet have been moved by the story, it wasn’t so easy to figure out what happened. According to the state police’s post, it took some effort to learn the full story. 

“We had to pull the story out of him,” David Procopio, a State Police spokesperson, told The Herald News.

Procopio told the outlet that ultimately the gesture is indicative of Bonin’s generous personality. 

“The story just speaks for itself. ... It really reveals his c-haracter.”