An unexpected kind gesture from a stranger can do anything from turn someone’s day around to turn someone’s life around.

Recently, a Miami, Florida cop bought $100 worth of groceries for a struggling mother who was trying to shoplift $300 worth of groceries for her starving children.

After a long, boring day on the job with nothing out of the ordinary happening, police officer Vicki Thomas got a call to investigate a shoplifting case at a local Publix (similar to Walmart).

When Thomas arrived at the grocery store, she asked the manager and owner what the suspect had tried to steal. The clerk immediately pointed to a cart filled to the brim with groceries.

Jessica Robles, the woman responsible for trying to steal all of the groceries, admitted wholeheartedly to the allegations against her. However, she wasn’t just taking these groceries to get out of paying for them; she was simply following her motherly instincts and trying to feed her starving children.

Upon finding this out, Thomas immediately bought $100 worth of groceries that were in the cart.

“My grandchildren flashed before my eyes,” Thomas said in an interview with ABCnews.com

The short-term effects of random acts of kindness may include a made day or a good mood for a few hours, but the long-term effects that a random act of kindness can have on a person are wonderful. It’s amazing how much positive impact you can have on someone just by waving at them, telling them how awesome you think they are, or even just smiling at them as you two pass in the hall.

An act of kindness can change, and maybe even save, someone’s life.

My challenge for those reading this: go out there and do something for someone. Go make someone’s day, not because you want to make yourself look good, but because you genuinely want them to be happy. Go complete a random act of kindness toward any given person today expecting nothing in return and good things may come from it.