Random acts of kindness often go a long way — and for one family in Texas, it was the reason they had warm shelter overnight during the state's unprecedented winter storm.
On Wednesday, Captain Marcus Kinnard-Bing with the Harris County Sheriff's Office tweeted that his District 5 deputies had responded to a call at a local hotel.
The hotel — which can be identified in Kinnard-Bing's photo as the La Quinta Inn by Wyndham Houston Cy-Fair in Houston — had told authorities that the "patron couldn't afford the room for the night," according to the tweet.
Refusing to let the family be out in the cold, Kinnard-Bing said his deputies took action.
"Being that he has a family with small children and the inclement weather, deputies paid out of their pocket for the family to have a room for the night," Kinnard-Bing explained.
Their kind actions were met by a flood of supportive tweets from users, who thanked the deputies and offered to pay for more nights at the hotel if the family needed.
"Great job by those deputies. @HCSO_D5Patrol Capt. Kinnard-Bing, if you can have someone cruise by there and see if those folks need a room tomorrow night, please contact me if they do. I'd like to pay for it for them," wrote one user.
"I'd like to cover Saturday if they still need it. Or a meal? Please update us if possible," offered someone else.
"Job well done! Uniform men helping those families in need. The man you all helped will never forget this. I hope you get the credit you all deserve. I thank you for mentioning this. Good deeds often goes unnoticed," added another person.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez responded to the heartwarming story in a tweet of his own and praised the officers for going out of their way to help others.
"These random acts of kindness make all the difference these days," Gonzalez wrote. "I commend these deputies for their compassion."
Millions of Texans have been left without power as plummeting temperatures from the winter storm wreak havoc on the Lone Star State.
At least 37 people across the country have died in the storm and its aftermath — a majority of them in Texas, according to NBC News — while residents struggle to survive without power and water.
Officials are now advising Texans to reduce their energy usage as much as possible, adhere to boil water notices and wear insulating layers to stay warm.
To seek further help, the state has also set up warming centers, and the National Guard has been deployed to conduct welfare checks and help people find local warming stations. For help finding one, call 2-1-1.
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