KITCHENER — The panicked call into the 911 dispatcher said someone was breaking into the apartment. But instead of making any arrests, two police constables ending up making dinner.

On Tuesday, Waterloo Regional Police were celebrating the actions of two patrol officers who they say found a bedridden man alone and scared in his downtown Cambridge apartment on a recent Sunday night.

It started out as a high-priority call, although it was pretty clear once the officers arrived that there was no break-in. But the elderly man, suffering from a broken pelvis and unable to walk, told the officers he hadn't eaten in two days.

So they cooked him dinner.

"We asked him when was the last time he'd eaten … then we asked him if he was hungry, and he said yes. We thought we'd make him something," said Const. Heather Burgess. "We realized he was lonely and enjoying our company."

Burgess went into the man's fridge and found some leftover roast beef, vegetables and bread, while her partner visited with the man.

"My partner decided to dive into his fridge and make him a meal," said Const. Jay Vankalsbeek, a 17-year veteran of the service.

"He was scared, because he knew if people did come into his apartment, he could do nothing about it … Based on the information provided through dispatch, you're a little amped up, and you're expecting the worst. But it was a priority call that turned into dinner."

The man, a 69-year-old who lives in a Cambridge apartment building, was not identified by police and could not be reached for this story. Police say he has support workers who check in on him regularly, but apparently doesn't have family to look after him.

His injury meant he was unable to leave his bed. Even the TV remote was out of reach, Vankalsbeek said.

The officers said they ended up staying with the man for about half an hour before they had to leave for another call. It was Nov. 6, so they watched CNN and talked about the upcoming U.S. election.

"We're not robots," Vankalsbeek said. "We found a man lonely and unable to prepare himself dinner. So it seemed like a natural thing to do."

Burgess, who's been a patrol officer for two years, said she hoped someone would do the same for her if roles were reversed.

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"I pictured myself in that situation. You go two days without eating and you're hungry. You've got people in your home who have the ability to make you something, and they just walk out the door?" she said.

"It just seemed like the human thing to do, to feed him."