Heartwarming actions of cop who bought groceries for shoplifting mom to feed her kids makes her an international star and gets the young mother a job

Instead of hauling Jessica Robles off to jail, Miami-Dade County Officer Vicki Thomas decided to help her out

'Arresting her wasn't going to solve the problem with her children being hungry,' said Thomas, who instead gave her a misdemeanor citation



Since then, the story has inspired residents and businesses of Miami to help Robles out

Ellen DeGeneres and Steve Harvey want Officer Thomas on their shows

One month after a kind-hearted police officer gave the starving mother and her family a chance, Jessica Robles' life has taken a dramatic turn.

Not only does she have food for her children, but she has a steady job and invitations to appear on shows like Good Morning America and Inside Edition.

The mother-of-three owes her recent good fortune to officer Vicki Thomas who, when called to deal with a shoplifter at a Miami Publix, decided to help instead of arresting her after Robles admitted she would probably steal again because her kids were hungry.



Thomas sent her home with a misdemeanor citation and $100 worth of groceries.

So grateful: Jessica Robles made the desperate decision to steal food for her hungry family. But getting caught has helped her turn over a new leaf

Kindness of strangers: Miami-Dade police officer Vicki Thomas chose to buy a penniless mom some of the groceries she was caught trying to steal instead of arresting her

'I made the decision to buy her some groceries because arresting her wasn't going to solve the problem with her children being hungry,'she said.



'To see them go through the bags when we brought them in, it was like Christmas,' Thomas said. 'That $100 to me was worth it'

Since news of Thomas's spontaneous act of kindness spread, good will offers of money, food, and even a job poured into the Robles household.

Miami-Dade police have also been swamped with calls from TV personalities like Ellen DeGeneres and Steve Harvey wanting the Vicki Thomas to appear on their show.

Speaking about the life-changing moment from her home this week, Robles, 30, told the Miami Herald: 'I knew when I left home that day that I had to come back with something to eat for my kids. I had to do it.'

She told Officer Thomas on the day she tried to walk out of Publix with $300 worth of shopping in a cart: 'I wish I could tell you I will never do this again. But I can’t because my children are hungry, and I don’t know what I will do.'

Robles’s boyfriend had lost his job and, because of a paperwork issue, the federal assistance had stopped.

Officer Thomas thought of her own grandchildren and zipped around the grocery aisles at the store grabbing rice, pasta and food she knew her grandchildren loved.

'The public has been amazing and overwhelming,' the officer of 23 years said on Friday of the aftermath of her kind actions.

She told Robles that all she wanted her to do was help someone else when she was back on her feet.



'And she said she would,' Officer Thomas said.

[With] my brother in the dirt hungry, asking for food, and we have to tell him, "There is nothing here."'Robles' 12-year-old daughter Anais opened up about3 the family's dire situation