Police officer jumps into action to secure formula for mom and baby in need

YI-JIN YU
·2 min read

When an Ohio mother was unable to feed her 1-week-old newborn, a police officer jumped into action to help secure baby formula for the family.

Cpl. Hunter Willoughby's actions in the early morning hours of June 15 were caught on camera, and bodycam footage from the event was released by the Miami Township Police Department in a Facebook post July 2.

In the bodycam video, an off-camera Willoughby arrives at a closed Meijer grocery store and persists on knocking on the store's glass windows before an employee notices and comes out to open the door.

"There is a mom. She said her milk dried up, and she can't find anywhere to buy formula. Is there anybody in here who can turn on a cash register … because I'll buy it for her and take it to her?" Willoughby asks the staffer.

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The bodycam video then cuts to Willoughby browsing the selection in the Meijer formula aisle and deciding between different options.

PHOTO: Corporal Hunter Willoughby of the Miami Township Police Department in Ohio jumped into action overnight to help secure formula for a mom who wasn’t able to feed her one-week-old newborn. (Courtesy of Miami Township Police Department)
PHOTO: Corporal Hunter Willoughby of the Miami Township Police Department in Ohio jumped into action overnight to help secure formula for a mom who wasn’t able to feed her one-week-old newborn. (Courtesy of Miami Township Police Department)

Willoughby then chooses a can of infant formula and speaks to another Meijer staffer who inquires if the mom would need a baby bottle, prompting Willoughby to go back and pick up a bottle with the staffer's assistance.

PHOTO: Staff at a Meijer store also helped Corporal Willoughby locate a baby bottle for the mom in need. (Courtesy of Miami Township Police Department)
PHOTO: Staff at a Meijer store also helped Corporal Willoughby locate a baby bottle for the mom in need. (Courtesy of Miami Township Police Department)

Miami Township Police Department Chief Mike Mills said Willoughby's actions exemplify what the local department strives to do within the community.

"You don't often hear about everything a police officer does in the course of their shift, but I do, and this is an example of the Miami Township Way," Mills said, according to the police department's Facebook post.

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The department added in its post that "Cpl Willoughby personally [purchased] some formula and bottles for the mother and delivered the items to the appreciative mother and he refused to accept any payment for the formula or bottles."

Police officer jumps into action to secure formula for mom and baby in need originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com