Elderly woman's home was 'uninhabitable,' police and others stepped in to change that

PITTSBURG, Calif. (KTVU) - A 74-year-old Pittsburg woman, who was facing some hardships found first hand that the kindness and generosity of strangers can lift you up and carry you during tough times.

The Pittsburg Police Department says the woman is a lifelong resident of the city and "had fallen on hard times."

The department's Code Enforcement Division was alerted that her home had become uninhabitable and she was living with no working appliances.

Police called it "a unique and serious situation that Code Enforcement rarely comes across."

So an officer took it upon himself to help out the woman. 

He went to Home Depot with the intention of buying her a small refrigerator and microwave oven.

It turns out, that spirit of generosity and altruism can be contagious.

When the officer got to the store, the woman's story reached managers Tony Fonseca and Brian Maloney and they too were overcome with a desire to help out a fellow member of the community.

So they donated a new refrigerator and microwave along with some new carpet for the woman's home.

They wanted her to be set up immediately so the store managers promptly sent two employees to the woman's home to deliver and install the appliances.

The donations didn't stop there. The St Vincent de Paul Society of Contra Costa County got wind of the woman's situation and also stepped in to help.

The charity brought in donations of household items to help make the home livable again for the woman.

The Pittsburg Police Department posted this story on its Facebook page and praised those involved for their generosity. 

The department also noted that when a community comes together to help each other out, it "reminds us of how good people are."