Windham Officer Mike Foley exhibits empathy and shows kindness by donating food to homeless man

By Lorraine Glowczak

Windham Police Officer Mike Foley demonstrated
a gesture of kindness which officers often do but
rarely are noticed by the public. His uplifting tale
will garner a smile and trust of the women and men
in blue who protect and serve the community 24
hours a day. PHOTO BY LORRAINE GLOWCZAK 

The basic duties of a police officer include patrolling assigned areas, protecting people and property, deterring and investigating crimes as well as apprehending suspected law violators. But as with all basic tasks associated with any profession, the job of an officer of the law is not limited to these responsibilities. It often impacts more lives than one – in surprising ways.

Windham Police Officer Mike Foley demonstrates obligations of the police force that are regularly often overlooked and are rarely recognized by the public. He shares a recent incident – a story that might make one smile. If not smile, then the tale will garner trust of the Windham women and men in blue who protect and serve the community 24 hours a day.

The story goes like this. In the early evening hours of his normal 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. shift April 19, Officer Foley was called to investigate a suspicious RV in a North Windham area parking lot.

When arriving at the scene, Foley and his partner, Officer Justin Hudnor, saw a roughly painted small RV.

“We approached the van thinking we were getting ready to speak to a person who has violated the law in Windham on a number of accounts,” Foley said. “But it turned out, it was not who we thought it was.”

The gentleman, it was discovered, did have bail conditions he had to adhere to. As a result, the officers were required by law to search him and his RV. What occurred next was a true example of police officers willing to go the extra mile.

“We knocked on his door and he opened it without any concern,” Foley said. “We told him why we were there and shared the concerns we had based on past information. He answered all of our questions easily and without resentment towards us.”

While Officer Hudnor was searching his van, Officer Foley took the time to get to know the person on a personal level.

“Do you have enough food for yourself and your dog,” Foley asked, noticing the healthy German Shepard.

The man replied that yes – he received weekly cans of soup which he shared with his dog. During the continued conversation, Foley discovered that the gentleman was a former deer hunter, and they began to connect on a human level, sharing stories regarding their favorite pastime. The April 22 post on the Windham Police Facebook page, described the evening with accuracy.

“In the day-to-day duties of [Windham Police] officers, they come into contact with a wide spectrum of people within our community. Some who are doing better than others and some not doing so well. One of our newest additions, Officer Mike Foley, came across one such person from the 'not doing so well' end of the spectrum.”

It turns out, the individual in question was a person down on their luck, who was still very proud and gets by as best he can “with just enough food. He is playing the hand that life has dealt him as best as he can,” the Facebook post continued.

Foley said that the individual shared his personal story. The individual recognized he made some bad financial decisions, but he also shared other information, attesting to his life experiences that would make most individuals grateful for the life they currently have.

“We got to talking about hunting and how both of us enjoy the sport to feed our families,” Foley said. “He had mentioned how much he loved hunting deer but no longer has the capability because he doesn’t currently have the firearms to do the thing that he enjoys.”

Noticing that all he was eating were cans of soup, Foley had a thought.

“Once the investigation of this gentleman was complete and the inspection cleared him of any wrongdoing, I went home on my break and got some of my own venison out of our freezer,” Foley said. “I returned later that evening and gave him some of the deer I hunted. It was the least I could do for a person experiencing a very difficult time in their life.”

What Foley failed to mention in this interview – is that he also provided treats for the individual’s dog – man’s best friend.

This is not a story steeped in magical thinking – but it is also not a story about an iron fist that is often associated with law enforcement. It is a true story about brightening the day of someone you do not know. Someone who is currently less fortunate than most of us.

“I think helping a fellow citizen also brightened Officer Foley's day as well,” Chief of Windham Police Department, Kevin Scholfield said. “Officer Foley tends to handle matters with empathy and a larger community-based solution in mind. I’m very pleased with how he handled this situation. This story is about two lives impacted by one selfless act of kindness” <

Editor’s note: Efforts to contact and reach out to the individual ‘down on his luck’ by the author of this article to get his side of the story proved to be unsuccessful.