A selfless grandmother from Arizona devoted four years of her life to goodwill. She fed the homeless community in her neighborhood and loved helping people. However, one day, her mission of kindness was stopped abruptly.
Norma Thornton was a restaurant owner for many years, passionate about making food and serving people. She got involved with a worthy cause when she retired in Arizona.
Someone asked if Thornton could prepare healthy meals for homeless people once a week. The simple gesture quickly gave the grandmother a newfound purpose, but she had no idea that her actions would be met with shocking pushback and consequences.
The 78-year-old lived a charitable life and always did her bit to make a difference in the world. She loved going to the local park in Bullhead City where she would dish up warm meals for the needy there.
Her intentions were pure, and she enjoyed her years serving the community. But in March 2022, everything changed when she experienced something unexpected. The grandmother recounted:
“I literally was scraping the bottom of my pans, finished off the food, gave him, and as he was walking away, these two police officers drove up. Still, I thought it was a kind of joke, someone playing a prank– until I was put in the back of the police car.”
Two officers arrested Thornton because she was in contravention of a law prohibiting feeding homeless people in public parks. The ordeal left Thornton in tears, struggling to make sense of what had happened.
The older woman had lived her whole life by a simple motto, and she shared it: “I have always believed that when you have plenty, you should share.” However, this belief got her into hot water with the council of Bullhead City.
Thornton’s story quickly gained media attention, with many questioning the incident. Eventually, the charges against her, which included potential jail time and fines, were dropped. However, it was not the end of the matter for Thornton.
City councilors ruled that feeding homeless people was enabling homelessness. However, Thornton disagreed. She stated: “I am not enabling homelessness. I’m enabling these people to survive.”
A lawsuit was filed against Thornton, but she refused to stop doing what she believed was right. She went to court and never admitted guilt because, according to her, what she did was good and kind. Thornton added:
“Imagine living in this country and being hungry. To be told that you cannot feed the hungry regardless of the circumstances. It’s sad, but it makes me really, really angry to put it bluntly.”
Thornton’s story quickly gained media attention, with many questioning the incident. Eventually, the charges against her, which included potential jail time and fines, were dropped. However, it was not the end of the matter for Thornton.
Along with her attorneys, she wanted to do something to ensure needy people were taken care of. It would take significant effort, but passion fuelled the grandmother and others like her. Her attorney, Suranjan San, expressed: “This case is about kindness.”
While the caring grandmother waited to see something change, she refused to let people in her community go hungry. She was permitted to feed people in other areas, such as churches and private property. Thornton shared:
“I am still able to serve people. It’s not ideal. There are no tables, and there’s no grass. They get their food and they just sit up against a fence. It gives us some shade.”
“When I was serving in the park, word would get out. That I was serving, and it was much easier for people to get to me and the food,” Thornton continued. She also added that both she and the needy people always kept the parks clean.
