What began as part of a Fort Worth police officer\u2019s daily patrol quickly became personal and led to an outpouring of compassion for a single mother and her seven children.<\/p>\n
According to Robin Bohlin with the Fort Worth Police and Clergy Coalition, the effort started when the officer met a young boy in his patrol area.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis started with an officer. He\u2019s a neighborhood police officer… He met this little boy that was looking for odd jobs to make money,\u201d Bohlin said. \u201cJust through a series of really caring for the little boy, he found out this family was living in a duplex that did not have a piece of furniture. There were seven children sleeping on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The discovery, Bohlin said, shocked the officer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou would like to think that doesn\u2019t happen in our community, but it does,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The officer soon learned the family\u2019s situation was even more dire. On Christmas Eve, the refrigerator held only a single item.<\/p>\n
\u201cA bottle of ranch dressing, and there are seven children in the house,\u201d Bohlin said.<\/p>\n
Moved by what they found, Fort Worth police officers stepped in immediately. Many were off duty but chose to act anyway, using their own money to help.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Christmas Eve, a lot of these people were not even working,\u201d Bohlin said. \u201cThey spent their own personal money, bought food, bought mattresses so the kids wouldn\u2019t have to sleep on the floor, and filled the refrigerator.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police then reached out to Bohlin and her husband, Pastor Jonas Bohlin at Fullness in Christ Church in Lake Country. The couple are also members of the Fort Worth Police and Clergy Coalition and founders of a neighborhood action committee.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to enact our neighborhood response team,\u201d Robin Bohlin said. “It’s through Lake Country Property Owners Association. I had this idea about a year ago. I had heard of a community in California that had done the same thing. They appointed a neighborhood chaplain. And since I’m already a chaplain with the city of Fort Worth Police Department, I suggested for me to become the chaplain of this neighborhood and to start a neighborhood response team.”<\/p>\n
Robin made a post on the group’s Facebook page, and within 48 hours, their church became a donation hub for the family. Calls and offers of help poured in from across North Texas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started getting calls Christmas Day from Weatherford, from Southlake,\u201d Pastor Jonas said.<\/p>\n
What organizers expected to be a modest response quickly grew beyond anything they imagined. Donations included food, clothing, furniture, and household essentials. Vehicles arrived packed with items and volunteers eager to help.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just thought, well, yeah, we\u2019ll put it out there and see who wants to help,\u201d Pastor Jonas said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know my phone could ring as much as it\u2019s been ringing in the last couple of days.\u201d<\/p>\n
The children\u2019s names, ages, and backgrounds, as well as their mothers have been kept private. What is clear, however, is that their home is no longer empty.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s God moving on a situation and saying ‘Hey I\u2019m with you in this. I am here to help,’\u201d Pastor Jonas said. “I want him to know that most people want to do good… And I hope it encourages him to want to be successful with his life and help other people.”<\/p>\n
For those involved, they said the experience served as a reminder of the impact small moments of care can have when shared by an entire community.<\/p>\n