Truth be told, we like happy endings better than the ones that only serve to remind us that some consumers are doing things they shouldn’t. That’s why it’s especially warming in our old tickers to hear that after a single mother was stopped for shoplifting, the police officer involved went ahead and bought her $100 worth of groceries to resolve the situation.

The South Florida mom admitted she’d been driven to taking groceries because she was struggling to feed her three children but had no money left for food, reports WSVN-TV.

The woman stopped at a Publix at the end of September, where cops said she walked out with a cart filled with $300 worth of groceries without paying first.

“I asked her, ‘Why would you do that? What would make you do that?’ ” said the police officer who stopped her. “And she said, ‘My children are hungry.'”

At that point the police officer ran her criminal history and saw that she hadn’t done anything like this before, so she charged her with a misdemeanor and handed her a notice to appear in court.

Here’s where the magical heartwarming action kicks into gear.

“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. “So I went in and bought her some groceries.”

The total came to $100 worth of food for the woman’s kids, who eagerly rifled through the bags right then and there.

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

Cop helps admitted shoplifter with groceries [WSVN-TV]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.